


Gimmick Game

by jju_nyaa



Series: Gimmick? Game! [1]
Category: NU'EST
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Implied Sexual Content, JT are bffs, M/M, Sexual Humor, Some angst, Swearing, baekmin are bffs, baekminron are bffs, bc they like their jokes, jren are bffs, side BaekRen, tiny bit of smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2020-10-14 11:02:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 46,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20599694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jju_nyaa/pseuds/jju_nyaa
Summary: On a fine Wednesday morning, Kim Jonghyun receives word that a certain Hwang Minhyun is out to get him.Except Jonghyun doesn't really know who this Minhyun is andwhy.a.k.a.college playboy!minhyun gets dared by his friends to get nerd!jonghyun into bed and falls in love along the way





	1. Nice and Worth Saving

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prompt fill for Snow Fox/Summer Fantasy and it's rather late, I'm very sorry. Today's JRxTY Dispatch surprise VLIVE convinced me that it's time to post the opening chapter anyway. ^^;

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Devil Hwang sets out in search of Angel Kim, Seonho goes off to warn the latter of impending danger and save the world. If only it could make any difference.

**— » — « —**

“Now let me get this straight,” Kim Jonghyun finally said, closing the lid of his laptop to take a better look at the boy sitting across him. Yoo Seonho sat up even straighter, raising his height an approximate of three-point-five inches above that of Jonghyun’s—although to be fair, the gamers club president often slouched and he was _not_ short.

“You’re here to warn me against…” and here Jonghyun paused to double-check Seonho’s expression to make sure he was following, “against Hwang Minhyun…?”

Seonho nodded.

“Your _sunbae_ from Music?”

Seonho nodded again.

“Because he is out to get me.” The frown on Jonghyun’s face was enough to show how incredible he found the statement. Hwang Minhyun is out to get him? “I don’t even know him.”

The JT Gamers room’s usual peace and quiet had been disrupted on a one fine Wednesday morning, conveniently right after the officers’ weekly meeting concluded and President Jonghyun and Vice-President Lee Taeyong were left to spend a free period working on their paired project. Supposedly, until a certain Seonho came in barging like the world was about to end and only Jonghyun could help save him, or that only he could save Jonghyun and him, or something else entirely that Jonghyun couldn’t quite fathom.

“Please, Jonghyun-hyung,” Seonho wheedled, clambering out of his seat and towards Jonghyun, knocking Taeyong—“sorry, Hyung”—forwards to his laptop in the process of squeezing himself between the two. “Since you already _don’t_ know him, don’t _ever_ get to know him, you know? _Pleeeeeeeeaaasssssseeeeeeee_...”

“I—Seonho-ya, I don’t—” Jonghyun spluttered as Seonho wrapped his long arms around him and proceeded to choke the life out of him in a beseeching embrace. “Yongie, help me, what’s he talking about, is he crying?”

A pause of about ten seconds passed before Taeyong could peel himself away from the screen to take in the scene before him. He blinked once, then twice, alternating looks between Jonghyun and Seonho before he said, “So, this Hwang Minhyun will go looking for Jonghyunnie soon, and you want Jonghyunnie to avoid this Hwang Minhyun the moment this Hwang Minhyun finds Jonghyunnie?”

Seonho looked up from where he had unceremoniously buried his face in Jonghyun’s collarbone, eyes bright and hopeful that, _finally_, someone understood him. “Yes! Exactly that, Hyung! Well, except maybe change ‘_this_’ to ‘_the_’ before the ‘_Hwang Minhyun_’,” he added as an afterthought.

“OK, _the_ Hwang Minhyun then. Who is he?”

“Just the bestest, hottest, nicest _sunbae_ ever, oh my god, Hyung, you’re impossible.”

Taeyong shrugged. “Thanks. You know they say that about me and Jonghyunnie all the time, right? I’m impossibly good-looking, Jonghyun’s impossibly the best person ever.”

“Minhyunnie-hyung is different.”

“Yeah, because he’s from a different department. Music, right?”

“It’s not just that! He’s—!”

But whatever _the_ Hwang Minhyun was, Seonho could not say because he was cut off by the appearance of yet another _sunbae_.

“Seonho! There you are! What are you even doing here?” Kang Dongho stepped in gingerly, at least until Jonghyun welcomed him in with a wave. Jonghyun knew Dongho from an elective class they shared in their first year and has since been friends with the Music major.

“I’m saving Jonghyun-hyung’s ass,” Seonho asserted, indignant that Dongho would come to interrupt at a time when he’s about to ensure the futures of so many.

“His ass is none of your business, come on, let’s go,” Dongho retorted, prying Seonho’s arms off of Jonghyun and dragging him out of the room. “Sorry, Jonghyun-ah, gotta go get this kid back to rehearsals but let’s meet up sometime soon, yeah? Taeyongie, too!”

“Sure, Dongho, thanks,” Jonghyun waved, his whole face flushing pink as Seonho could still be heard screeching in the hallway, “_It’s a nice ass and it’s worth saving!_”

Taeyong chuckled, eyes glued back to his screen while his fingers flew across the keyboard. “Now, that’s something you don’t often hear… wait,” and the typing stopped. Taeyong turned towards Jonghyun with an accusatory glance. “Where did you post photos of your ass and how come I didn’t know about it?” he demanded.

“What? I did not!”

“I’m disappointed, Jonghyun-ah, I thought we were best of—! Oh!” Taeyong clapped his hands, startling Jonghyun. “I remember now.”

“Remember what?”

“You know that one time when you stood in for Minki as Shinji from that last year’s con? Everyone said you looked great front and back. Back, even more so.” Taeyong smirked and, opening a new window on his laptop, began browsing his SNS page.

“Ugh, no,” Jonghyun shook his head, not wanting to relive one moment of that cosplay fiasco Choi Minki dragged him into. He went back to his portion of the work for their project, lulled by a false sense of security that the subject had been dropped due to Taeyong’s silence. Not five minutes later, however, Jonghyun was confronted with a photo of himself in _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ Shinji’s form-hugging, blue-and-white plugsuit. Said photo emphasized the curve of his ass from the way it was angled—yet another “lucky” Choi Minki candid shot that made its way across the internet and made Jonghyun want to kill his childhood best friend.

“Wow, that _is_ a nice ass.”

Jonghyun felt the heat spread across his cheeks when a breath from the compliment brushed the side of his face.

“Right? That's probably what that Yoo kid was referring to—oh, hello there, who might you be?” Taeyong asked the newcomer, whose face was suddenly hovering about their shoulders as he stared appreciatively at the photo on the screen.

“Oh, uh, yes, hello.” The person’s eyes crinkled into half-moons as he withdrew at a respectable distance. He shot Jonghyun a meaningful glance before appearing to have remembered he had brought something with him. Pulling out a sheet of paper neatly folded in thirds, he handed it to Taeyong even as he threw surreptitious looks at the other boy who had just lost the scramble to delete the photo of <strike>his ass</strike> himself. As Taeyong read the paper, Jonghyun busied himself with trying to crack the vice-president’s laptop password and make another photo removal attempt.

“Sorry but application period is already over and you’ll have to wait until the next semester, uh, Hw—,” Taeyong coughed, “—Hyun-ssi. But, I don’t know, maybe our president could make an exception. President Kim?” He slapped Jonghyun’s hands away from his computer and nudged his head to draw the other’s attention towards the newcomer.

“Hwang Minhyun-ssi wants to join our gamers club,” Taeyong said, struggling to school his face into a neutral expression despite the laughter threatening to break out. Literally, speak of the devil and… He gave the paper to Jonghyun and went back to his coding.

“Hwang Minhyun…?” Jonghyun muttered dumbly, squinting at the name written on the paper. At last, he looked at the newcomer and met the gaze that had been focused on him in the past five minutes or so.

“_The_ Hwang Minhyun?”

Said Hwang Minhyun broke into a smile. “You can just call me Minhyun.”

**— » to be continued « —**


	2. A Melon Bread Conspiracy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyun’s reconnaissance report leaves Seongwu quite breathless and Dongho quite bread-less.

**— » — « —**

“_The_ Hwang Minhyun,” Ong Seongwu breathed, “rejected by a gamers club. Rejected. RE-JEC—”

“Yep. Flat out rejected by the club president himself.” Minhyun sounded way too happy. Heck, he even looked as happy as he sounded, staring at his phone and sporting an uncharacteristic dreamy look when Seongwu found him in the college cafeteria for their regular lunch hangout. 

When Minhyun immediately launched into a narrative of how he tried to join a gamers club to get close to Kim Jonghyun that morning, Seongwu thought he had already succeeded with the preliminaries and scored a date with his conquest. Instead, he learned that his friend had been cleanly rejected...by a nerd club president. In the years he’d known Minhyun, most of his endeavours had ended up in success—though this so-called success in the love department was more in the sense that he’s always the first one to back out of an encounter with little to no lingering emotional attachment.

But here was Hwang Minhyun, sitting serenely in front of his lunch tray and smiling from ear to ear over the fact that a gamers club president rejected his application, effectively thwarting his Step One of charming the pants off of said gamers club president.

“Where's Dongho? I need to thank him for giving me an actual challenge.”

“Hey, daring you to get Kim Jonghyun in bed was _my_ idea,” Seongwu corrected. 

It was a fact, in fact, that Kang Dongho did not appreciate, having only made an off-hand remark about how one of his friends from Computer Engineering would be one of the _many_ people Minhyun would _never_ be able to play around with so easily. They had been in a discussion after Minhyun had to camp out with Seongwu and his Theatre friends, being then hunted by friends of yet another hopeful’s heart he has broken. Dongho, who was also there helping out with production, had to refrain from going on a full sermon about his best friend's promiscuity and instead tried to keep his already big <strike>head</strike> ego from further inflation by telling him, ineffectively, that Minhyun can't possibly seduce everyone.

“I know, but you know I would never have sought him out because _you_ suggested it,” Minhyun remarked, laughing as Seongwu's expression turned sour.

Seongwu had to agree, however, as it was Dongho's adamant “no-don't-you-dare” and outright defence of Kim Jonghyun's virtue that sealed the deal and set the Devil Hwang afoot and in search of his best friend's friend.

“So? How was this Kim Jonghyun?” Seongwu asked, stopping himself just in time from adding that the guy in question already earned brownie points in the Ong book for having enough fortitude to have rejected _the_ Hwang Minhyun.

“He's cute.”

“So I've heard from you not a minute ago. And?”

“He seemed legitimately concerned that my joining his club would only be a hindrance to my major...especially since gaming was not my regular hobby nor was I into programming like he is,” Minhyun's face twitched and once more gave in to what apparently was a very strong urge to smile.

“He gave you an actual interview?! That you flunked.”

Minhyun nodded. “He sincerely thanked me for my interest.”

“In bedding him?”

“In joining his club, idiot.”

“Oh. I thought he interviewed you as a potential fuckbuddy.”

Minhyun patted his friend's head fondly, saying, “I’ll get to that point with him soon enough.”

Seongwu rolled his eyes. “In case you have forgotten, you have a terrible reputation for being a campus heartbreaker. I’m sure he rejected your application because he doesn’t want to associate his nerd club with a known Casanova.”

“Do I really have that bad of a reputation?”

“Are you seriously asking that?”

“What?” Minhyun looked genuinely confused. “I just meet people, date them if they like me and I like them, and have sex because it’s fun. Isn’t that what people usually do?”

“You’re forgetting how quickly you move on from one person to the next,” Dongho interjected, bearing his own lunch tray and joining them on the table. “And how you can actually face and smile at even your bitterest ex-flings as if nothing happened.” Only catching that last bit of the conversation and it was enough for him to figure out that the discussion was yet again about Minhyun’s borderline callous philosophy in life. 

“It’s not as if I regret having spent time with them. No matter how long or short our intimacy, I have been nothing but nice. And affectionate. You know me, guys, I’ve always intended to remain that way… albeit from a friendly distance… if only they’d let me. But they won’t. So.”

“I really can’t think of how you come about with your definition of things but, in most circles, that kind of attitude is perceived as shameless and gets a lot of flak,” Seongwu answered, swiping a melon bread from Dongho’s tray. 

Minhyun shrugged, having lost interest in the conversation. His eyes had been roaming the place in the last minute, even craning his neck despite nearly being half a head taller than most of the current occupants in the cafeteria. Giving up, he then asked Dongho, “Do you know if Jonghyun eats lunch here or someplace else?”

“He—,” and Dongho sighed, snatching his melon bread back before Seongwu could unwrap it, “he doesn’t. People either bring food to him or invite him for lunch elsewhere—where are you going?”

Minhyun paused from gathering his things and tray, a determined glint in his eyes. “Jonghyun’s club room. I still have a dare to win, if you remember.”

“Minhyun-ah…”

But Minhyun had already given them a confident wave as he strode out of the cafeteria in search of Kim Jonghyun’s current lunch spot which, more or less, could be the gamers club room.

The worried expression on Dongho’s face was instantly replaced by a knowing smile the moment Minhyun was out of earshot. “I’m guessing he’s found Jonghyun earlier. What did he say about him?”

Seongwu thus launched into a rather accurate summary of the parts Dongho missed earlier while the latter was stuck lining up for bread. “You should have seen him smiling when I found him, it was abnormally, no, frighteningly _pure_. The _I-have-huge-ass-crush-on-someone_ kind of pure that I only see on sentimental losers. Like you.”

Dongho’s smile only grew wider, though his hand flew up to give Seongwu a smack for the unnecessary jab. “Our Minhyunnie’s going to lose.”

“Oh?” Seongwu asked, rubbing the back of his head in pain. “You know, people bringing Jonghyun lunch makes him sound like a god they go to worship.”

“Rather more along the lines of love. All his professors love him, the college staff love him, his seniors, peers, and juniors… they all love him. Even animals love him,” Dongho declared, an unmistakable hint of pride was in his voice. “Minhyun’s probably half in love with him already.”

Seongwu gasped. “Did you—? Did you actually set him up for failure? Your own best friend!”

Dongho snorted. “Rumor has it that people who _do_ pine for Jonghyunnie’s affection end up becoming a better version of themselves. Wouldn’t you want to see that kind of effect on _the_ Hwang Minhyun?”

“Interesting… but, dude, was it all just acting last time? You seemed pretty dead set on keeping Minhyun away from Jonghyun. I actually thought you were going to end our friendship when I suggested the dare.”

“Oh, that time I really did want to strangle you for putting the idea to his head. I’ve just had a change of mind about the whole thing afterwards. You’re a genius, Ong.” And Dongho handed the melon bread back to Seongwu.

“Thanks… Really?”

“Yeah. So don’t be an idiot and tell Minhyun everything I just told you.”

Seongwu disposed of the wrapper and bit on his bread. “Tell him what?”

“Good.”

**— » to be continued « —**


	3. Recommended Bribe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonghyun gives an inch or two; Minhyun ends up taking half a mile. Not that anyone’s really complaining.

**— » — « —**

“President Kim.”

Jonghyun thought he heard a fly buzz from his left but, with this Friday project phase deadline coming up in fifteen minutes, he couldn’t afford to divert his attention just to swat at possible insects swarming about. Besides, the library was supposedly an insect-free, well-ventilated place—any buzzing about his ears would have to be the library ghost.

The library ghost—or someone—cleared their throat by his ear. “President Kim,” said a melodic voice.

“Y-Yes?” Jonghyun jumped from his chair, his heart thumping against his ribcage, ready to battle the library ghost even if he probably just has to wing it. Horror wasn’t really his genre so he didn’t have enough gaming know-how to apply in real life—except he really didn’t need it because it wasn’t a ghost. “Oh, uh…hi.”

Minhyun smiled at him, his eyes forming those crescents again. “Hi.”

“Hw—, er, Minhyun-ssi, right?” After the other day’s interview where _the_ Hwang Minhyun had insisted that he ought to just call him Minhyun, Jonghyun remembered to drop the formalities with their rejected applicant this time despite <strike>hoping</strike> thinking he would never have to see him again.

Their interview last Wednesday would have been the weirdest that Jonghyun could ever remember conducting in all the time he’s been a club president. Minhyun wanted to join his club because he was interested in games yet he was a Music major who barely had any time to play. While club meetings usually include the problem of getting new members each semester for their club to remain relevant enough to have a budget, Jonghyun wanted members to be around because they want to and that they _can_ play games. As much as Minhyun tried to convince him of his interest and willingness to put in the required hours to get inducted, Jonghyun didn’t have the heart to take advantage of it.

That and Minhyun’s application truly <strike>felt weird</strike> was out of the blue.

It didn’t help that minutes prior to meeting him, Jonghyun had been warned against him. He almost regretted not being able to ask Seonho how exactly was this Hwang Minhyun planning to ‘get him’, although references to his ass made Taeyong leap to the embarrassing (and rather horrifying) conclusion that Minhyun was planning to date-rape Jonghyun through some nefarious way or another. What pretty much put a brake on that repulsive train of thought was the unanswerable ‘why him?’ question(—except Taeyong also kept on insisting that exceptionally fiendish individuals could just as easily fetishize Jonghyun’s sometimes-vulnerably <strike>dumb</strike> innocent vibe instead of cosseting him as everyone else would).

As such, Jonghyun gave Minhyun the benefit of the doubt and proceeded to treat him like any other acquaintance. He even entertained text messages—his number was on every single club-related paper released into the wild so it’s not weird, right, that Minhyun had texted and asked him to save his number, too, in case he changed his mind about rejecting his application? 

“You can just call me Jonghyun, you know,” Jonghyun said, finding it very embarrassing that Minhyun kept on calling him ‘President Kim’, even in the two text messages he sent the other day.

Minhyun’s face brightened. “Really? Awesome. Can I sit with you, Jonghyun-ah?”

_Why?_ “I—, uh, sure, go ahead.” Jonghyun went back to his seat as well, a little shocked at the more affectionate suffix being used all of a sudden.

“Um, Minhyun-ssi,” he said after a while, unable to go back to his coding while Minhyun sat beside him and stared openly at his work. “Did you need something?”

“Hm? Oh, no, I’m fine. Go on, Jonghyun-ah.” And Minhyun gestured at his laptop.

So was he really just going to sit there and stare at codes until he's done? _All right_, Jonghyun inwardly sighed, trying to regain his focus. He was really busy and there was no law against just letting Minhyun sit there as he pleased so, technically, Jonghyun _could_ ignore him. However, the part of him that couldn’t leave people alone, especially if they seemed to be in need of something, was telling him to make an effort to make Minhyun feel welcome in his presence and let him know if there’s anything he can do to help.

“So.” Thus Jonghyun began, even as his fingers went on typing and he couldn’t spare a glance at his unexpected companion. “How did that songwriting assignment go?”

**— » — « —**

Minhyun’s mouth felt dry and he had trouble swallowing a sudden lump in his throat. 

The many times he’s gone out of his way to charm people he was interested in, he’d proven himself always a little less captivated by them in return. It became a lot easier for Minhyun when the time has come for him to end things—there was nothing to regret just because he’ll miss it a lot when they’ve both moved on, and there would be little to remember because there had been little to no impact in his life.

However, this Kim Jonghyun remembered his little (read: petty) insistence on being called by his first name. It was adorable how Jonghyun even stumbled—almost calling him ‘Hwang Minhyun-ssi’ again but recovered and corrected himself just in time. What was completely unexpected was the question about his songwriting homework trouble; Minhyun didn’t think Jonghyun would even remember him mentioning that. It made him feel rather warm in the face… and there was a weight that felt like it just lodged itself in his chest.

Not to mention Jonghyun was wearing the cutest pair of glasses Minhyun has ever seen.

He really would have to thank Dongho for this challenge.

“I made it in time,” Minhyun was able to answer, even managing a casual smile. “Thank you for asking.”

Jonghyun smiled at his screen. “That’s good.” There was a hint of relief in it, or Minhyun could just be hearing things. Jonghyun wasn’t really _that_ concerned about it, was he?

“Are you asking because you’ve changed your mind about my application?” He asked incorrigibly, knowing that he shouldn’t be encouraging conversation when Jonghyun appeared to be in all forms busy. He really did just want to sit with him and watch him while he worked and, perhaps, finally get to invite him for lunch. (Wednesday brought him no such luck when he went to JT Gamers; no one else was in aside from Taeyong and, surprisingly enough, Jung Jaehyun from his and Dongho’s department. What are the odds...)

Despite his apparent focus on his task, Jonghyun laughed. Minhyun almost thought he had only imagined it to be such a cute staccato, but hearing it again only proved his memory of Jonghyun during their first meeting to be clear and precise.

“I’m not granting you another interview, Minhyun-ssi,” was the generously amicable answer.

“Even if I buy you lunch?” Minhyun ventured; he might as well go for it and see. He felt rewarded when Jonghyun’s mouth began curving upwards in a grin, which then gave way to another laugh.

“Are you trying to bribe your way in now?” It was cute how Jonghyun thought Minhyun was still on the subject of his gamers club membership. 

Or was he playing along? It turned out Seonho—that traitor—had warned Jonghyun about him. His entire interview with Jonghyun plus his following encounter alone with the gamers club VP over lunch gave no indication of whether or not Jonghyun was made aware of his intentions. Right then, even with Jonghyun next to him, was also too early to determine.

Was he thrilled by the unknown in this chase? Maybe.

“I just thought you’d be hungry by now, seeing as it’s almost noon,” he pointed out.

“Right, don’t remind me, just—ten minutes,” Jonghyun bargained, cutting their conversation short.

Thus, for ten minutes, Minhyun observed the guy next to him, whose oversized sweatshirt hid his form while oversized glasses brought out his immaculate charm. Out of respect for the Engineering major’s concentration, Minhyun did his utmost to make very subtle, unobtrusive observations while pretending to read the book he had with him. 

His conclusion after ten minutes? He needed to score a date with President Kim.

As if he had suddenly run out of power, Jonghyun slumped in his seat after closing his laptop, sighing as he did so.

“You all right?” Minhyun then asked, closing his book and chuckling a little.

Jonghyun’s stomach answered for him and the tips of his ears grew pink.

“Did you say you were going to, uh, buy me lunch?”

**— » to be continued « —**


	4. Unofficial Weirdos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyun changes his mind about one little thing and realizes a bunch of other things (three, to be exact). A hardly corrupt President Kim very narrowly misses a step towards nepotism.

**— » — « —**

The ramen shop has existed for as long as Minhyun had not been aware but apparently, Jonghyun had been a customer since his first year. In some ways, the ramen shop resembled Jonghyun in Minhyun’s eyes: relatively small, unobtrusive, and something you’d easily pass off as ordinary. Except that the moment you took a closer good look, you’d find they were anything but.

Minhyun could tell that Jonghyun already regretted taking him up for his offer of lunch. All throughout the time they walked together, with Jonghyun leading the way towards his recommended place after much insistence from Minhyun, the gaming club president kept on reiterating that he really wasn’t that shameless, and that he would never dream of taking Minhyun to some expensive place just because he offered to pay, and that he didn’t have to pay for Jonghyun’s meal at all.

“Jonghyun-ah,” Minhyun finally said after Jonghyun’s fifth reassurance statement, “if you don’t stop apologizing, I’m going to take us to a really expensive place _and_ pay for both our meals. In which case afterwards will drain my food allowance and I’ll end up starving and you’d definitely be responsible.”

“But—,”

“I’m telling you it’s _fine_, so just let me buy you that ramen, okay?”

The look on Jonghyun’s face was unnecessarily endearing. Minhyun thought pouty faces were cringeworthy but this one, with matching brows furrowed in serious contemplation, might have just completely changed his mind.

“Okay…” Jonghyun conceded after some thought. “Sor—, I mean, thank you.”

A hearty laugh and, “You’re welcome.”

Seated at Jonghyun’s favourite corner table, the pair wasted no time digging in when their orders arrived. Being hyper-aware of the little things that Jonghyun said or did, Minhyun thought he was seeing things when the other reached for another pair of chopsticks. The next thing he knew, Jonghyun was holding up two slices of naruto to either of his cheekbones, croaking out a sheepish “_narutomaki!_” and following up with an accurate impression of Naruto’s signature expression, “_dattebayo!_”.

Three things then crossed Minhyun’s mind at that moment. One: He found himself hoping, instead of assuming, that Jonghyun’s sexual orientation was as ambidextrous as the latter was with chopsticks. Two: He was grateful to the powers-that-be that he had watched Naruto as a child, enabling him to get the reference Jonghyun made and laugh along with him. 

The third? The thumping of his heart against his ribcage needed to stop—it was getting harder to mask it with effusive laughter and incessant commentaries.

“Here you go,” Jonghyun said. At the look of confusion on Minhyun’s face, he added, “You don’t have one,” and raised the fishcake for emphasis. He merely noticed that Minhyun didn’t get any in his but… did he really have to include a chopstick full of noodles with it? 

To Jonghyun’s relief, Minhyun was far from refusing. He took the bite, grasping Jonghyun’s hand to steady it while the other held the bowl below Minhyun’s chin. What Jonghyun didn’t count on was that Minhyun didn’t let go of his hand holding the chopsticks even as he chewed the noodles. Jonghyun then had a few awkward seconds of being unable to move away. And what does he do? Might as well use the time to make a quick study of the other guy’s profile while he’s stuck, Jonghyun supposed.

Minhyun was handsome—and rather _pretty_ in some angles, Jonghyun then concluded—even as the person under scrutiny was preoccupied with stuffing the aforementioned pretty face with a mouthful of noodles. Wondering how on earth did things turn out in such a way that he was having lunch at his favourite place with an actual stunner who even wanted to pay for his food, Jonghyun became increasingly conscious that one of his hands was still in Minhyun’s—and it wasn’t just because he couldn’t eat.

“Good?” Jonghyun asked by way of clearing his throat. Thankfully, he felt his hand being released at last, though the ghost of Minhyun’s touch still lingered on his skin.

“It’s great,” Minhyun nodded enthusiastically, busying himself with his bowl. “I now get why you’re a regular— oh, here,” and Jonghyun found himself on the other end of Minhyun’s chopsticks… with noodles being offered to him in return.

“Uh, I—,” he started to refuse but the expectant look on Minhyun’s face was something he thought he couldn’t quite disappoint, “I mean, yeah.”

“Yeah, as if you could get away with trying to give me more food just because I’m paying,” Minhyun informed him as he was chewing on his food, making Jonghyun laugh and nearly choke.

**— » — « —**

“Thank you for the lunch treat, Minhyun-ssi,” Jonghyun was then saying. They had stepped out of the ramen shop and he felt a sense of… unease creeping at him. Should he be saying something, then, before they part ways?

“No problem,” Minhyun replied, a huge smile lighting up his features as he patted his stomach and stretched his arms out. The gesture radiated simplicity and Minhyun, as Jonghyun then noticed, looked more open and honest than he has ever seen him so far. The misgivings that Jonghyun felt over Minhyun’s sudden appearance started to feel somewhat unjustified and, while he wasn’t any nearer to reversing his decision of denying the club application, Jonghyun began to think. He was, perhaps, a little too adamant in not giving Minhyun a chance.

“Minhyun-ssi,” Jonghyun blurted out before he could stop himself, yet effectively stopping Minhyun in taking a step away from where they stood.

“I hope you wouldn’t get the impression that you’ve bought off a chance to get into JT Gamers,” he went on, playing with the strap of his sling bag as he tried to maintain eye contact with Minhyun, “because I firmly stand by my decision of having declined your application.”

The expectant look from Minhyun only dipped a little. How astute could he be to know that Jonghyun wasn’t finished with what he wanted to say? Smart enough to bide his time? Intuitive enough to realize that it might be something that’s leaning towards his favour? Jonghyun wondered these things as he plunged on, determined to say what was on his mind.

“But I also thought it wouldn’t be fair to simply shoot down your interest in gaming just because you’re a Music major. If… if you would like, we could still play. You could hang out with me... and Yongie... when the club’s not busy and you’re not busy… maybe?”

Seconds went by until Jonghyun thought he must have had insulted Minhyun in some way as the latter’s expression had become entirely blank. “Minhyun-ssi... did I say something wrong?”

“Jonghyun-ah,” Minhyun then said, stepping forward, and Jonghyun found himself being pulled into a bear hug, his nose crashing against the other’s shoulder. “You don’t know how much this means to me… thank you.”

Minhyun’s voice against his ear—as tender and fruity as the first time he heard it—didn’t help Jonghyun’s knees much in their struggle to not buckle against Minhyun’s weight thrown his way. 

“Just so we’re clear,” and he cringed at the sound of his voice cracking, “you could drop by anytime but if… with you being an unofficial person… if we’re having official club duties, we have to throw you out, you know?”

“I don’t care. Throw me out as much as you’d like so long as I could come back.”

Jonghyun chuckled, putting his arms around Minhyun to pat his back. “You really want to play games this much?”

“Yeah.”

“Minhyun-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re a weirdo.”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re getting a bit heavy.”

“Oh.” And Jonghyun could finally breathe, ignoring the feeling of loss when Minhyun stepped away from him. He didn’t have to ignore it for too long, however, as throughout the time they were making their way back to campus, Minhyun kept on slinging an arm around his neck or giving him quick little back hugs as they laughed and bickered over what game they were going to play as soon as they find the time.

Half-heartedly questioning why he himself wasn’t exactly averse to the excessive skinship from a mere recent acquaintance, Jonghyun acknowledged the high probability of his being a weirdo, too, after all.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Meet more of the folks from JT Gamers!


	5. A Regent’s Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The JT Gamers executive committee discovers a couple of pertinent—if not outrightly urgent—items to include in this week’s Wednesday meeting.

**— » — « —**

“Who’s that and why is he sitting next to the president?” Im Youngmin muttered to Taeyong as he came in the following Wednesday morning. The ‘conference’ table had one Kim Jonghyun deeply immersed in his laptop and one stranger deeply immersed in whatever’s going through his earphones; both unaware of the newcomer in their midst, their backs to the door. Youngmin probably wouldn’t have batted an eyelid if it weren’t for the distance (or lack thereof) between the two. In fact, the original version of the question that Youngmin wanted to ask was ‘_Who the hell is this and why is he allowed within Jonghyun’s personal bubble?_’

Having come to the club room bearing the customary breakfast he and his fellow club officers share (included in the club budget, of course) before their meeting was due, Youngmin had shuffled off straight to the small pantry area of their club room. He had quietly searched the premises for their VP to get an answer from before his presence could be detected by the other two.

“Huh,” Taeyong replied incoherently after roughly two minutes, still squinting the sleep away from his eyes. Hair quite wild from having just emerged from his sleeping bag, the VP tried to make sense of his surroundings. “Oh. That’s Minhyun. The reject.” Rubbing his face, he mumbled, “Jesus, he’s so early.”

“The what? Regent?” Youngmin frowned, confused as to when did the gamers club turn into a monarchy and why was he not informed, being club secretary and all that.

“Re-JECT.” Taeyong drawled, careful to maintain a low volume so as not to be overheard. “Late applicant, had to reject but Jonghyunnie took pity and allowed him to hang out here from time to time. Wait, what time is it?”

“Seven-thirty,” Youngmin answered automatically and, a beat later, “Jesus, he’s so early.”

Why Jonghyun would even take pity on this Minhyun was something Youngmin had to push to the back of his mind until later—or perhaps he could raise it as part of their meeting agenda?

“Taeyongie, wake up, it’s seven-thirty,” they both heard Jonghyun call even as he remained focused on his computer screen.

“I’m up, Jonghyun-ah,” Taeyong called back. “And Youngminnie’s here.”

Finally, Jonghyun turned around, with Minhyun mimicking his actions and taking out his earphones. Seeing Youngmin, the club president flashed him a rather tired smile. “Morning, Youngmin-ah. I just sent you the group work stuff.”

“Great, I’ll look at it later.” Vaguely gesturing towards Minhyun as he unpacked the food he brought, Youngmin added, “I, uh, didn’t know we’re having a guest for the meeting. I didn’t buy extra—”

“Oh, no, I—no, I actually bought some more,” Minhyun scrambled up from his seat and presented a take-out package, handing it over towards Youngmin before hastily retreating to Jonghyun’s side. “I’m not here for the meeting, I just ran into Jonghyunnie at the cafe and thought I could get you guys some breakfast for, well, the meeting. To thank the club for your hospitality, you see.”

_Jonghyunnie… Interesting._ “Oh, cool, uh, thanks, uh…”

“Oh, yes, uh, I’m Hwang Minhyun.”

“He’s from Music,” Taeyong piped, taking the food from Youngmin to inspect and lay them out on the table. “Minhyun-ssi, this is Im Youngmin, our secretary. He’s from our class, too.”

“Nice to meet you, Im Youngmin-ssi.”

“Likewise, Hwang Minhyun-ssi.”

“Good morning!” Choi Seungcheol chirped as he threw the door open to let himself in, “we’re not late, are we? Oh, hey, Minhyun-ah, you’re here… again.” The VP for Public Relations gave their club president a knowing smile before joining Taeyong in the ongoing food inspection and distribution. 

“Good morning, Seungcheol-ah, Wonwoo-ssi,” Minhyun greeted the newcomers, with Jeon Wonwoo shuffling a little later and sliding the door closed as he stepped in, attention riveted by his mobile phone screen. “Morning, hyungs,” the youngest officer replied in general before taking in the scene before him. 

“This is too much breakfast for too little budget,” the club treasurer surmised, noting the abundance set on the table.

“It’s okay, Wonwoo-yah, some of it came from Minhyunnie,” Jonghyun explained. “For free,” he added when Wonwoo raised an eyebrow. Said eyebrow didn’t budge. 

“If you say so, Jonghyun-hyung.” And Wonwoo helped set the table.

“Anyway, Jonghyun-ah, this is the part where I throw myself out so, I’ll see you later?” Minhyun said, collecting his things and taking excruciatingly small steps towards the door. 

“You’re not joining us for breakfast?” Seungcheol asked, surprise evident in his face.

“I’d love to but I need to head off to my building and secure a practice room as soon as possible.” 

“Oh. That’s unfortunate but here, at least get something for breakfast.”

“Oh, thanks but I’m okay. I ate before I went out. Bye, everyone, thanks again!”

A chorus of “bye, Minhyun” and “thanks for breakfast” answered him as he waved and stepped out.

“Minhyun-ah,” Jonghyun called, stepping out of the room after Minhyun with a wrapped toast and a bottle of juice. Out of their line of sight, the other officers paused from whatever they were doing to listen in to the conversation occurring out from the hallway, voices floating through the open door. “Here, take this anyway,” Jonghyun could then be heard saying, the others recognizing that commanding tone their president uses on them from time to time.

“Jonghyun, _come on_.”

“Minhyun. Take it.”

“No.”

“I’ll ban you if you don’t take it.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Damn it, Jonghyun-ah, I can’t believe you’re power playing so early in the morning.” 

“Nobody said I’m above doing such things.”

“Fine, then... And thank you.”

“Thank you, too.”

“Can I see you later?”

“Maybe. Depends.”

“On…?”

“Who knows? Bye, Minhyun-ah.”

“_Jonghyun…_”

“Dongho’s going to beat you to that room you wanted.”

“You’re right. I hate you. Okay, bye.”

Sighing, Jonghyun returned to his seat at the table and found four sets of teeth flashing at him. He all of a sudden felt like prey facing a cackle of hyenas. “What?”

It was Seungcheol who spoke first, tutting and shaking his head. “Power playing so early in the morning, dear me, President Kim.”

“Nobody said Jonghyun-hyung is above doing such things,” Wonwoo added, a smile playing on his lips.

Youngmin laughed apologetically. “Sorry, Jonghyun-ah, I didn’t realize _Minhyunnie_ is your boyfriend.”

Taeyong, who was until then grinning from ear to ear, grew horrified. “He’s wh—oh, god... Did you already do it at home?”

Jonghyun choked, “What? No!”

“And I was only gone for one night?” Taeyong continued, his expression growing anguished by the second. “I did think that Hwang Minhyun looked like a fast worker, I just didn’t realize he was _this_ fast? Oh, Jonghyunnie,” and he threw his arms around his best friend, unable to hide a sniffle.

“Taeyongie,” Jonghyun pleaded, face burning as he made a move to shove him but instead returned his embrace. “We’re not like that, don’t be a dumbass,” he coaxed.

“I kind of feel awful eating something you might have bought with your body, Jonghyun-ah,” said Seungcheol even as he bit into a clubhouse sandwich and chewed on it without a trace of remorse. “_‘Ran into Jonghyunnie at the cafe’_, my ass. Or in this case—was it your ass or his ass?”

At this, Taeyong pulled away, looking into Jonghyun’s eyes for confirmation. “Never yours, right?” 

Jonghyun smiled and cupped Taeyong’s cheeks in his hands. “Shut up and eat your breakfast.”

“Wait, so, Minhyun’s not Jonghyun’s boyfriend?” Youngmin asked, confused.

“Not _yet_, more like, hyung,” Wonwoo postulated. “To be honest, I wouldn’t mind if they hook up or start dating, what with today’s breakfast being a huge upgrade from our usual.”

“True,” Youngmin agreed. “Should I add it to our agenda?”

“Oh hey, that’s a good idea!” Seungcheol added excitedly.

Working up an appetite for breakfast had never felt more like a chore for Jonghyun until then.

**— » to be continued « —**


	6. Room 2107

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last, Minhyun beats Dongho to Room 2107 and finds out why Seonho betrayed him. Or does he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> henlo, I just want to apologize for the unannounced break and for taking forever to update. Thank you for all the kudos and comments and special thanks to [ice_flow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ice_flow/pseuds/ice_flow) for the constant reminders of "Did you write?" and [bugiiwonderland](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugiiwonderland/pseuds/bugiiwonderland) for directly and indirectly reminding me that fics exist and that I need to work on mine. Hahat.

**— » — « —**

Needless to say, Minhyun was on cloud nine the whole time from since he left Jonghyun in the hall(way)s of Engineering until he was approaching the threshold of Music (building). If anyone were paying attention, they’d be slack-jawed at the rare sight that was _the_ Hwang Minhyun sporting a dopey smile—massively contrary to his campus-renowned ‘cool, calm, and indifferent’. If anyone were paying an even closer attention, they’d also be flabbergasted at the spring in his step that bore no resemblance to his years-perfected preening gait. One could even dare say, barring all poetic tendencies and reverence in describing _ the _ Hwang Minhyun—well, he looked rather dumb and giggly for a change.

The Department of Music building only had a few students milling about its premises at past quarter to eight, some lethargic, others too preoccupied to notice anything else. It contrasted with earlier when Jonghyun and Minhyun entered the Engineering building which, at seven in the morning, looked like a ghost town, complete with hollow-eyed—some bespectacled—zombies roaming about. Except said zombies appeared to have some life injected back into them the moment they got within Jonghyun’s vicinity and he acknowledged their presence with a dazzling ‘good morning’. 

Truth be told, even Minhyun felt energized when he unexpectedly came across Jonghyun in his favourite cafe, afterwards compelled to follow him all the way back to the club room.

Buying breakfast for the whole executive committee of JT Gamers wasn’t really in the plan but, well, Minhyun learned that Jonghyun went to the cafe on a whim to buy Taeyong’s favorites. Minhyun didn’t really like the sound of that especially since Jonghyun had previously mentioned the club budget for Wednesday breakfast meetings. Taeyong’s breakfast would have been _special_ and out of Jonghyun’s pocket. Minhyun _really_ didn’t like the sound of that.

Somehow, one breakfast became five—he didn’t really remember how it happened. At least, Jonghyun insisted in Minhyun's bringing a portion with him. His concern was too cute; he really didn’t have to but he did, and he even ended up giving Minhyun the French toast that Jonghyun picked out for himself. He almost felt justified in going back—to return Jonghyun’s breakfast, of course—but, in retrospect, he could just pretend Jonghyun picked out the toast for him. A few more steps towards his destination and Minhyun was near to deluding himself with the thought that Jonghyun _could_ have planned out everything in order to—what, make it obvious that he liked Minhyun already? 

Even Minhyun had to snort at that. He went back to replaying in his mind their last exchange in the hallway, trying to look for anything from Jonghyun's expressions and body language that might indicate his interest this time. He hated to admit it but perhaps Dongho was right—Kim Jonghyun was far from easy.

“Minhyunnie-hyungggggg!”

Said hyung only had just one foot through the Music building when the eager salutation accosted his hearing. It was only, what, ten minutes to eight, right? His energetic pace in walking from Jonghyun Time to Practice Time had to be doubled into a frantic one in order to successfully outrun what he knew—rather, _whom_ he knew—would already be hurtling towards him and that the impact would be painful and render him momentarily— 

“Oof,” Minhyun wheezed when someone collided against his back just as he was about to escape into the sanctum that was the highly coveted Practice Room 2107.

“Good morning, Minhyun-hyung,” Seonho purred, upper limbs already snaked around his favorite _sunbae_.

“Good morning, Seonho,” Minhyun answered as soon as his capacity to breathe returned to him. “My, aren’t you early."

"I missed you, hyung," the freshman gushed. 

"Is this, by any chance, an attempt to hide yet another act of betrayal against me? It’s been exactly a week since we last saw each other and, coincidentally, your last backstabbing stint. Funny how time has flown by, huh?”

“Hyungggggg… I’m so sorry,” Seonho pleaded, instantly catching onto what Minhyun was referring to, “but I had to! Minhyun-hyung, I love you, please forgive meeeeeee...please?”

Looking at the freshman squarely in the eye, Minhyun said, “You _had_ to.”

“I had to, I swear, if I didn’t have to, I wouldn’t have told Jonghyun-hyung anything about you! But I had to, I swear.”

“Mind telling _why_ ‘you had to’?” Probing even as he did his best to shuffle them nearer towards the door despite Seonho’s boa constrictor hold on him, he added, “how did you even know I was going to look for Jonghyun? More than that, how do _you_ even know Jonghyun?”

“Well, Jonghyun-hyung, for one, is from Engineering,” Seonho explained as if it gave the answer Minhyun was looking for. When Minhyun didn’t show any sign of understanding, the younger boy let go of his death grip on him and leaned instead against the door frame of 2107. 

“Moreover, he’s a _pro_ , hyung,” Seonho continued, eagerly for reasons Minhyun still couldn’t comprehend. He just felt his heart skip a beat at the thought that Jonghyun is? was? a pro?—of what? And why did it sound so _cool_?—but still—

“And I can’t date a pro-something or other?” Minhyun asked, not really knowing what he was asking.

“Can’t _date_—? No, I didn’t say that! I’m just saying...Guanlin really looks up to him, hyung.”

“Guanlin?” Lai Guanlin, the cool (in Seonho’s words) Engineering freshman prince who saved Seonho’s life during the semester's general freshman orientation, despite Lai Guanlin being an overseas transfer student, a non-Music major, and technically should have been more helpless than the native Seonho.

“Yes! Guanlin!”

“What does Guanlin looking up to Jonghyun have anything to do with you not wanting me to meet him?”

For the first time since they met, Seonho stared at him like he was a huge disappointment. Minhyun was so taken aback that he wasn’t sure if he was going to be worried or offended.

Sighing, the freshman answered in a manner of talking to an incredibly dumb person. “Hyung. You see. The other sunbaenims said you were going to _ seduce _ Jonghyun-hyung. If you seduce Jonghyun-hyung _then_ break his heart _after_ ravishing his purity, he’s going to hate you and deny you access to his club room. Actually, the whole Engineering department might even become off-limits to _the_ Hwang Minhyun—no, I’m not even kidding, _it could_. And if it’s off-limits to you, then how can it not be off-limits to me, your _protege_, and if it’s off-limits to me—well, I can’t go and see Guanlin then, can I?”

Rendered speechless, Minhyun could only blink and try to process the logic presented to him. In that small window of being in a state of incapacity, however, Dongho had rushed past them and barreled his way into Room 2107.

“Woohh, I made it!” Dongho shouted gleefully from within the practice room he successfully claimed—yet again—before Minhyun could. 

“NO!” Minhyun howled upon recovering, stomping into the room to confront his best friend. “This room’s mine, I got here first! Seonho, tell him!”

To be fair, the acoustics in Room 2107 was great—finally Seonho understood why there’s an ongoing heated (read: petty) rivalry between the two juniors in booking this particular practice room. But, more importantly—,

“Dongho-hyung, Minhyun-hyung said he wants to date Jonghyun-hyung and not just seduce him,” Seonho answered in one breath. Adding another breath, he went on, “so I’ve changed my mind and I think we should help him because he knows nothing about dating.”

“Date Jonghyun?” Dongho paused from doing his little victory dance, turning to Seonho. “This jerk doesn’t need help, he already scored an arcade date last Sunday and ditched me, Minki, and Aaron-hyung at the movies.”

“Oh shit, you’re _that_ fast?” Seonho looked horrified. “Jonghyun-hyung’s purity…,” he wailed, “...and I’m doomed.” 

“Hey—excuse me—what now? _No_, okay? No,” Minhyun interjected, striking his hands together for emphasis. “I did not _‘ravish Jonghyun’s purity’_, all right? I just played some games with him and his best friend at the arcade. That’s it.”

Dongho nudged Seonho, saying, “He skipped being the fourth-wheel to Aaron-hyung’s third-wheeling of my date with Minki just so he could third-wheel to _JT_. I suppose it is kind of a promotion.”

Minhyun groaned. “For the hundredth time, it wasn’t a date for _JT_ either and I wasn’t a third wheel,” he said through gritted teeth. It was starting to annoy him how Jonghyun’s name always gets compounded with Taeyong’s, rubbing salt to the wound of discovery that Jonghyun’s Sunday invitation wasn’t intended for just the two of them. When he said _‘hang out with me and Yongie’_, Minhyun didn’t realize that Jonghyun was going to be true to each and every word.

“I just didn’t know Taeyong was going to be there too, all right?” Minhyun finally acknowledged, admitting that he had mistakenly thought Jonghyun had asked him out. 

Wrapping a comforting arm around Minhyun’s shoulders, Dongho couldn’t help but cackle anyway. “I know… I’m sorry,” he said, trying to adopt a more sombre expression and failing, “I’m sorry, it’s just _still_ so... funny...” And Dongho’s knees gave way, the bulkier Music major collapsing on a chair and wondering if he could even still practice his singing after laughing his lungs off.

Even Seonho was doing his best not to laugh out of respect, Minhyun could tell. 

“You guys suck,” Minhyun huffed as Seonho latched onto him again, sniggering his apologies.

**— » to be continued « —**


	7. Sunday Not-a-Date: Whack-a-Mole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyun’s friends may take an unholy delight in making fun of him but they’re also mostly the only ones who would care to listen to what happened last Sunday, so...

**— » — « —**

“Hello?”

A cute chuckle answered him and, “Minhyun-ah, you missed the cafe entrance.”

“What? Oh!” Minhyun backtracked, and a smiling Kim Jonghyun waved at him from a window. Jonghyun hung up and pointed towards his left where Minhyun realized a door hid in plain sight. That, or he was just somewhat blind.

“Hi,” Minhyun breathed as he sat across Jonghyun at the booth table, although his lungs may have forgotten to inhale again when Jonghyun answered him with a smile. That, and because Jonghyun wore his black baseball cap backwards and exposed what seemed to be a serious game-changer of a forehead. “I—,” he choked.

“Are you all right?” Jonghyun’s equally exposed eyebrows furrowed in adorable concern. “Here, uh, water?”

Accepting, Minhyun drank the water and regained a bit of the use of his faculties. His lips then dampened and refreshed, he managed to wheeze out a decent, “I thought we’re meeting up at an arcade.”

As much as possible, Minhyun didn’t want it to be in any way obvious that he had rushed from the mall—where he was almost about to meet up with Dongho, Minki, and Aaron to see a movie—when he accepted Jonghyun’s invitation to hang out at the arcades located at the other side of town. After sending Dongho a quick and unapologetic _“Actually Jonghyun wants to meet up—Bye,”_ Minhyun’s feet had started moving even before Jonghyun could send him the address. His mind had belatedly registered that the invitation centered around the ‘play’, ‘games’, and ‘arcade’ triplet—Jonghyun was probably still under the impression that Minhyun would be accepting his invitation for the sole reason of playing. 

Maybe, but for a different kind of game than what Jonghyun apparently had in mind. At least the cafe they were in could easily be associated with the ‘food’ and ‘date’ duo, which was right within Minhyun’s skillset.

“It’s through there and downstairs,” Jonghyun had answered, pointing to a narrow passage by the cafe counters. He was busy flipping through the menu booklet, however, giving no indication of wanting to lead them towards the said arcade.

“Are you hungry? We were given free hourly passes so I figured there’d be enough play time even if we ate something first,” he continued, patting his sling bag proudly—presumably where the passes were safely kept. “But if you want to go ahead, I’ll just meet you downstairs and—”

“Oh, no, I’m starving, let's eat,” Minhyun was quite happy to interject, inwardly relieved at not having to bluff just so he could stick with Jonghyun. He really was starving and had only planned to show up at the movies so he could mooch off of Aaron-hyung and his penchant for treating anyone to anything anywhere. He mimicked Jonghyun and flipped through the menu, exchanging opinions on what to get. 

There was a mini banquet spread out between them soon after, steadily decimated as they busied themselves with wolfing down their orders. Even Minhyun, who was generally uncomfortable with silence that he would automatically fill dead air with some random conversation, didn’t really find space between chewing and swallowing to feel uneasy enough to start blabbing.

They were able to hold conversations, however. Once in a while, Jonghyun would raise his brows in mute inquiry—_‘How’s the food?’_—that Minhyun would answer with a satisfied nod. Or Minhyun would point to a dish and then towards Jonghyun—_‘Try this one’_—that Jonghyun would accept by briefly swapping plates with him. 

Or both would find themselves trying—and failing—to hold their sniggers while their mouths were full, and it was in this state that Taeyong found them, effortlessly sliding next to Jonghyun and soliciting a bite with his open mouth.

Jonghyun was all too willing to comply with a forkful of pasta, and Minhyun suddenly found that the bacon cheeseburger in his mouth tasted funny, rather bilious.

Taeyong was waving at him in a silent but friendly greeting, and considering how the gamers club VP didn’t look too taken with him the first few times they met, Minhyun struggled to swallow his food—along with a few other things, his pride included—to greet the other boy back. Not to mention, Taeyong heavily resembled his best friend with that little gesture—a rather adorable and unnecessarily cute attempt at overcoming what seemed to be an innate timidity of character conveniently concealed by a naturally pretty face. 

Minhyun didn’t really have a heart made of ice like what rumours about him said—thus being so, his insides were being melted all the same by anything remotely associated with Jonghyun’s nerdy charms.

The arrival of Taeyong meant cafe time was pretty much over once all the food was consumed, as he and Jonghyun resumed the business of making good use of the free hourly passes that the club president has somehow gotten hold of. There was a thick bunch of passes in an envelope, three of which were traded off at the counter for watch-like bracelets they had to wear to access the games.

“What arcade game do you like playing best, Minhyun-ssi?” Taeyong asked as he put on Jonghyun’s bracelet for him, the latter currently waylaid by a phone call.

“I—uh… I don’t really have one I like best...” he admitted, trailing off when his eyes wandered from what Taeyong was doing with Jonghyun’s wrist to what Taeyong was then doing with Jonghyun’s sling bag. The VP had grabbed hold of Jonghyun’s bag from behind, stashing his own wallet and phone along with the owner’s things in it. While both of them were preoccupied, Jonghyun with his phone call and Taeyong with the sling bag, Minhyun could not help but notice how the strap emphasized the shape of Jonghyun’s chest.

And it looked like it had a good shape.

In fact, it was a _really_ great shape.

Despite himself, Minhyun could not look away, his eyes glued to the apparently wide expanse just right below Jonghyun’s neck. Jonghyun’s red and black pullover had done a terrific job of hiding his pectorals earlier but now that the sling bag strap was cutting across his torso…

And just like that, it was gone—Taeyong had let go of the bag and was recommending they start with a simple whack-a-mole game while waiting for Jonghyun since, “—you kinda look like you need to let out some stress… are you okay, Minhyun-ssi?”

“What? Yeah, I’m… yeah, whack-a-mole is fun. I like it.”

Jonghyun joined the two shortly afterwards, finding a half-terrified Taeyong clutching his mallet as he helplessly watched a rather violent Minhyun dominating the game with sheer force. Wincing as yet another poor mole got smashed back into its hole, Jonghyun wondered what had gotten into their new kinda-club-member to be displaying such...fury? Rage? Wrath?

Taeyong returned the mallet and abandoned his own game, hiding behind Jonghyun. “He’s killing all the moles, I don’t know what’s gotten into him,” he muttered anxiously. For a while, the pair watched as Minhyun went on vehemently smashing the unfortunate things.

Yet all the intensity vanished when the game ended and Minhyun turned to see him, the taller boy looking flushed and smiling the freshest of smiles. “Jonghyun-ah, I beat the high score by a point!” he said happily, pointing at the blinking ‘809’ on the scoreboard, beating what actually had been Choi Seungcheol’s long-time record.

“Good job!” Jonghyun beamed, mindlessly patting the small of Minhyun’s back before he caught himself at it and disguising the gesture with a high-five. Minhyun chuckled and met his hand, afterwards clutching it to pull Jonghyun towards the claw machines. Taeyong offered a quick prayer for the moles’ speedy recovery before following.

“Oh, no,” Taeyong said, seeing the two already going for the plush toys. “Jonghyun-ah, you know you’re not supposed to play the claw machines.”

“Hyung gave me a 5-item monthly quota, relax,” Jonghyun answered, fingers already deftly moving the controllers. “I’m just getting one for you and Minhyun real quick.”

And the first plush toy went down the chute: Fox Eddy. “Your whack-a-mole grand prize,” Jonghyun said as he handed Minhyun the plushie, who just lost his own turn at the machine next to his.

“Thanks, Jonghyun-ah, you’re so cu—this is so cute, thanks,” Minhyun said, his ears turning red. Setting down Fox Eddy in front of him, Minhyun dropped another coin, determined to recover the sea turtle he lost earlier.

**— » — « —**

“Is that it?” Seonho asked. “You just perved over Jonghyun-hyung’s forehead and pecs, took your jealousy and sexual frustration out on innocent moles, and even won a plushie for it?”

“Yoo Seonho, I’m not sure I’m liking your way of speaking to me,” Minhyun frowned, his ears burning from the way his narration of the Sunday not-a-date just got pre-maturely summarized.

“He’s not really wrong though,” Dongho chuckled.

“I haven’t gotten to the end part yet but if that’s how you’re going to look at it, I see no point in continuing,” Minhyun sulked, gathering his things and making for the door. Seonho was quick to get to his side, justifying his remark.

“I’m sorry, hyung, but I haven’t really met anyone who’s taken longer in describing in detail the outline of someone else’s chest the way you did. You sounded… I don’t know… _thirsty_? But in a really cute way, I swear!”

Dongho had followed them to the door, stopping when Minhyun and Seonho had stepped out of 2107. “Knowing you, I think you’d perv even harder once you’ve seen how small his waist is,” he added, leaning against the doorway.

Minhyun paused in his tracks, turning back to his best friend.

“How _the hell_ do you even know what his waist looks like?”

“Uh, I’ve seen it?”

“What?!”

“What?”

“_Why?_”

Dongho looked legitimately confused until it dawned on him. “Oh! We’re occasional gym buddies—I guess I forgot to mention he’s that gym buddy I used to talk to you about before, you know? The one who introduced me to Minki?”

Before Minhyun could say another word, Dongho had cheerfully bid him goodbye and shut the door of 2107 in his face.

“Come to think of it,” Seonho said, “Jonghyun-hyung’s waist did feel small in all those times I’ve hugged him—I mean, I’m sorry, Minhyun-hyung, okay, I’m gonna go now—bye!”

“No, we need to talk—hey! Come back here, Yoo Seonho!”

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week is part two of the Sunday Not-a-Date, heheh


	8. Sunday Not-a-Date: 1, 2, 3, 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Minhyun 1) won in the claw machines, 2) set a first time record with JT Gamers, 3) was obvious about things, and 4) may or may not have sabotaged his own game plan.

**— » — « —**

“Wait,” Jonghyun was saying, “why did you get yourself a plushie?”

Taeyong had just retrieved the plushie he won from the claw machine when Jonghyun turned to him. The satisfied grin on his face froze a little. “I wanted to get a plushie?”

“I was supposed to get you one.”

“I don’t really need one?”

Jonghyun frowned. “You just said you wanted one.”

“I said I wanted _to get_ one. There’s a difference.”

The suspicious, about-to-be-butthurt-because-my-best-friend-snubbed-my-efforts-at-being-affectionate look in Jonghyun’s face turned into a contemplative—and then teasing—stare. “You mean you wanted _to get one for Jaehyun_.”

Taeyong was mock defiant. “So what?”

A fourth coin and Minhyun narrowly got the sea turtle—he banged his forehead against the glass case in despair. The bickering pair’s attention returned to their new companion in pity. The claw machines weren’t even rigged to make people lose but here was Minhyun, on his fifth coin already. How bad could someone be at claw machines to lose every turn despite playing at maximum claw strength settings? 

“Minhyun-ah, I could get it for you if you really want it,” Jonghyun said despite himself. 

“Thanks, Jonghyun-ah,” Minhyun answered, eyes still trained on the claw making its fifth attempt at catching the turtle, “but I want to do this myself so I can give it to you.”

“Oh.” A pause, then a chorus of throat clearing, and then Jonghyun said, “okay then.”

Taeyong looked smug. “See. I’m not the only one,” he whispered, earning an elbow to his side from Jonghyun. “Ow—!”

Jonghyun laughed as he jerked sideways to avoid the return elbow from his best friend, bumping into Minhyun. “Aahh-!”

“Aahh-!” Minhyun echoed, accidentally pushing the button for the crane when Jonghyun nudged him.

“Aahh-!” Taeyong yelled as the claw machine snagged the sea turtle.

“Aahh-!” All three chorused as the sea turtle finally dropped down the chute.

“Aahh-!” Minhyun threw his arms around Jonghyun in a squeeze, not unlike the first time he hugged him outside of the ramen shop the other day. 

Jonghyun was momentarily stunned that he barely registered Minhyun letting go of him to retrieve the prized plushie. Seconds later, the sea turtle was in his arms, soft and velvety. _Rather like Minhyun’s voice_, he noted while chuckling at the sight of Taeyong and Minhyun sharing a celebratory high five and setting off their own impromptu dance numbers with their plush toys. He couldn’t help but join in—he had a little routine and a plush toy, too, after all.

**— » — « —**

As Taeyong was setting up the Wii in one corner of the arcade, Jonghyun and Minhyun sat quietly together on a bench, still fiddling with their plush toys. Bumping Fox Eddy against the sea turtle, Minhyun voiced the question he had wanted to ask ever since they set foot in the arcade.

“Are we the only ones in here?”

“Hm?” Jonghyun mused, removing his cap and shaking down his hair. “Yeah.”

“Where are the others?”

“Others… like?”

“Other players…?” Minhyun clarified. “Aren’t arcades supposed to be crowded and noisy? Aside from all the game music from the machines, we’re the only human noises in this place.”

“Oh. That. They’ll come in later when the arcade opens.” Jonghyun then grinned at the confusion on Minhyun’s face. “It’s a bit of a long-winded explanation but, let’s see… Taeyongie and I are friends with the arcade owner and he lets us beta-test new machines and the like. Sometimes we run basic tests after recalibration and maintenance—and for that, we bring in JT Gamers club members so we don’t have to test everything by ourselves. Pretty convenient, huh? We get monthly club activities and Hyung gets game testers for free.”

“So, you asked me out here so I could help you test the games?” Minhyun asked. Come to think of it, Jonghyun and Taeyong did process the game passes by themselves—he simply assumed the whole place was pretty much self-service.

“Oh, no,” Jonghyun shook his head again, emphatically this time. “This is your welcoming party. The arcade doesn’t open until three o’clock on Sundays so we sometimes ask to hold inductions here. I just don’t know where the other officers are—Yongie-yah!” He called the attention of the club VP.

“What?”

“Are you sure you texted Cheol and Wonwoo? Youngmin said he couldn’t make it.”

“Those two got held up at the PC shop two blocks away. They’re just finishing up a game but they’ll be here later.” Taeyong answered. “So, Minhyun-ssi, since today is a Girl Group Special, you get to take your pick from, guess what? Girl group songs only! Well, female soloists are counted too.”

“I’m confused,” Minhyun mumbled but when he saw the game flashing on the screen, he gasped, “Kpop Dance Festival!” Laughing at his own surprised reaction, Minhyun explained, “I play this game with my sister at home.”

“Great that you’re already familiar with it,” Taeyong said, handing him the Wiimote. “Jonghyunnie and I will be attempting to beat our own scores on particular songs while you get to set your first time record for JT Gamers. Which one do you want to start with?”

Minhyun blushed, standing up. “I could...uh, do _Shanghai Romance_, is that okay?” Jonghyun and Taeyong clapped their hands in an expression of approval and support of his song choice, Taeyong taking Minhyun’s place on the bench.

_Shanghai Romance_ was pretty simple enough, but Minhyun’s face—in particular, his ears—were burning. He was already laughing his embarrassment off when he saw Jonghyun following the arm movements from where he sat. That helped alleviate some of the self-consciousness he felt—and he was grateful to Jonghyun for it.

Soon, the free play portion came and by then Minhyun was already comfortable enough doing another round of the plush toy dance he did earlier. He just didn’t expect Jonghyun and Taeyong to jump from their seats and join him, doing their own plush toy dances. It was as if they all had the same thought and acted it out all at the same time. Minhyun’s laughter was infectious.

Afterwards, Taeyong took a photo of Minhyun’s score for recordkeeping, though he explained that it was usually Youngmin’s job. Flushed and a little breathless from both dancing and laughing, Minhyun went back to the bench with Jonghyun while Taeyong took his turn, trying to beat his own score for 2NE1’s _I Don’t Care_.

“Thanks, Jonghyun-ah,” Minhyun then said.

“Hm? What for?”

“For doing the arm movements with me so I wouldn’t be too self-conscious.”

Jonghyun smiled sheepishly. “Was I that obvious?”

“Not really,” Minhyun chuckled. “Maybe I just assumed and it turned out I was right—Hey.” He reached out for Jonghyun’s hands but it was too late—Jonghyun had already pushed his hair back and put his cap back on, no longer backwards. Minhyun’s breath hitched. “You know, you really should stop that, though.”

Jonghyun looked confused. “Stop what?”

“That whole—I don’t know—_looking so attractive_ thing you do. It drives me nuts.”

As soon as he said it, Minhyun bit his lip and turned his attention elsewhere, becoming particularly interested in Taeyong’s game all of a sudden. Jonghyun blinked up at him before frowning.

“Minhyun-ah.”

“Yep?”

“Do you like me?”

It was Minhyun’s turn to smile sheepishly, finally turning to face Jonghyun. “Was I that obvious?” 

“Yep.”

“Oh.”

Jonghyun chuckled and went on. “I didn’t want to believe it but I was told you only joined JT Gamers because of me.”

“Pretty much.”

“Oh, I see.”

Jonghyun clapped his hands as Taeyong finished, successfully beating his record. He wordlessly stood up and handed Minhyun his sea turtle for safekeeping. Taeyong passed him the Wiimote.

“Which one’s mine?” Jonghyun inquired as he scrolled through the songs.

“You’re doing _1, 2, 3, 4_,” Taeyong answered, laughing as Jonghyun’s face crumpled in embarrassment. On a normal day, when it’s just them and other close friends, Jonghyun was as shameless as Minki in dancing to girl group songs on the Wii. Taeyong supposed _the_ Hwang Minhyun was still, technically, a stranger.

The music started, Jonghyun in position, and as much as he wanted to tone down his dancing, the gamer in him could not back down from a challenge. Already, his game face was on, and his whole body moved in time with the music and accurately mimicked the choreography in order to try and beat his own score.

Needless to say, Minhyun was rendered speechless. He felt even Lee Hi was somewhat mocking him by repeatedly singing “game over, game over, ooh, game over” while Jonghyun did just the exact opposite of his request to stop-looking-so-attractive-it-drives-me-nuts.

Maybe… Just maybe… It truly was “game over” at that moment... at least for Minhyun.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Links to the Kpop Dance Festival songs used in this chapter, lol:  
[Orange Caramel - Shanghai Romance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nezudGmkgFU)  
[2NE1 - I Don't Care](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7hNgVysovA)  
[Lee Hi - 1, 2, 3, 4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKebENtj098)
> 
> I originally planned to use [Sistar19's Ma Boy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX1z_PRP4aE), but we already know from [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayXgFGEfCH4) how it goes, LOL


	9. Sunday Not-a-Date: Playing Dumb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Minhyun finds a way to stay in the game, Jonghyun may have come to terms with the fact that he actually has a ridiculous taste in friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this two days early instead of the usual Wednesday update to make up for the lateness of the previous chapter and because I might be too busy for Christmas. Not that I have any plans other than sleep but anywayyyy--

**— » — « —**

The soft ice cream had melted and Minhyun sighed.

“Are you okay?” Jonghyun asked.

Minhyun stared back at the concerned gaze that Jonghyun _finally_ sent his way and he only wanted to throw the question right back at him. Ever since Jonghyun beat his Wii score, he hadn’t really looked Minhyun in the eye for the rest of the time they were in the arcade—even when he addressed him. It was baffling and irksome—on the one hand, the club president still smiled and laughed at Minhyun’s jokes but on the other hand, it wasn’t fair that all the little sparkles in Jonghyun’s eyes were directed to everyone else except him.

When apparently no one else could make it to Minhyun’s welcoming party within their first hour at the arcade, Jonghyun made the executive decision of moving said party to the PC shop instead. The arcade owner did arrive just a few minutes before their hour was up, and Jonghyun introduced Minhyun to ‘Jeongsu-hyung’ before they left. Even then, Jonghyun didn’t look at him. Minhyun wondered if Jonghyun was angry about the real reason Minhyun tried to join JT Gamers, but why would he still introduce Minhyun as a new club member?

Being just a couple of blocks away from where ‘Seungcheol’ and ‘Wonwoo’ were stuck in a game, the trio travelled on foot. Meandered, more like. Taeyong kept on holding up their progress with side trips to road stalls to the point that Jonghyun had to scold him for not eating at the cafe with him and Minhyun. Even so, Jonghyun and Minhyun ended up getting meat buns, chicken skewers, fish cakes, and finally, the soft serve that was now melting in Minhyun’s hand.

“Are you okay, Minhyun-ah?” Jonghyun repeated, still concerned, still holding his gaze. 

“Are you mad at me?” Minhyun blurted, and he hated how it sounded _whiny_. Thank goodness Taeyong wasn’t around to hear—and Minhyun briefly wondered if Jonghyun was aware that they had left his best friend back at the convenience store. Jonghyun’s answer jerked his thoughts back to the moment.

“No?” Jonghyun had said, his hesitation more out of confusion than indecisiveness. “Why would I be mad at you?”

Minhyun broke their eye contact to stare at the sidewalk they were walking on, mumbling something Jonghyun couldn’t hear. He could see the taller boy’s lips pouting out words but Jonghyun wasn’t able to make it out. Distracted by how cute the action was, he almost forgot to ask Minhyun to repeat what he said.

“Sorry—what was that again?”

“You know… my reason for joining?”

“Oh.” Three seconds later, “that.”

Minhyun turned to look back at Jonghyun but found the other boy had directed his attention to the sidewalk, too. “See,” he couldn’t help but point out, “you won’t look at me again.”

Jonghyun shook his head, a tiny smile playing on his lips. “Hwang Minhyun… seriously…”

“Hey, I’m really sorry, President Kim.”

“Hwang Minhyun-ssi.” Jonghyun halted and frowned at him. 

Minhyun froze in his spot. “Yes, sir—I mean—what?”

“Look,” and the stern gaze softened. “I’m not mad at you, alright?”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Minhyun could tell that he wasn’t bluffing, at least.

“I’m just…,” Jonghyun went on, looking as if he was having a hard time organizing his next words. “I’m just—I don’t really know what to do with you, honestly. That’s it.”

Minhyun’s brain instantly came up with several suggestions on what he would like Jonghyun to do _with him_ and _to him_—but all of them went up all at the same time and all of them shouldn’t really be said out loud in the middle of the day right out on the street and—thus Minhyun remained dumb, waiting for Jonghyun to elaborate. And Jonghyun was actually elaborating.

“I’ve kind of asked the officers to meet with you as some sort of new probationary member and set up this semi-official welcome party today to see what they think of you. But if you’re only in it for, uh… me?” And Jonghyun paused to confirm with him, as he found it still so ridiculous. 

Minhyun nodded. “You.”

“Okay, yeah, so I don’t really see the point of doing all this because we do let non-member friends hang out at the club room, you see. If I had known you only wanted to be friends with me, I would’ve just—”

“Friends?” Minhyun cut him off, an unreadable expression on his face. “You think I only wanted to be friends with you?”

“I—Did you not want to be friends with me?” 

“No—I mean, yes, of course. I want to be friends with you—”

“Okay. Yes. Well—”

“—and more.”

_Fuck._ Minhyun had never wanted to slap himself so hard until now that even his brain went on to beat him up with endless mental expletives for his massive stupidity. Baring his intentions so early in the game, blurting out his genuine thoughts and—are these _feelings_?—the fuck where did all of his supposed cunning and finesse even go? 

It was all Jonghyun’s fault—being suddenly so confusing and silent and closing off on him all because he was thinking of the club’s membership policy—_like how in the fuck could he be such a fucking nerd_?! He very much wanted to hate Jonghyun for throwing him way off his game plan but how could he when Jonghyun was also being this _fucking cute_? And dumb.

“Huh… So you really like me that way, huh.”

All right, maybe not dumb; Jonghyun was really very good at picking things up. And quick, too. 

Unfortunately for Minhyun, his mouth seemed to be quicker than his brain and was already running off at top speed. “If by _that way_, you meant the I-want-to-be-your-boyfriend kind of way, then yes,”—_no, Minhyun, don’t fucking say it_—“I like you that way, Jonghyun.” _You fucking said it._

Jonghyun groaned. “Can’t believe you actually said it.”

“What do you mean—You’d rather I didn’t?” Minhyun blurted in disbelief, ears and cheeks visibly burning.

“Well—not _now_!” Jonghyun’s face was flushed too.

“Oh.”

Despite his embarrassment, or perhaps due to it, Jonghyun managed to laugh at Minhyun right to his face. “We’ve only just met the other day. You’re too fast—I’m having a hard time keeping up.”

“Oh.” 

“Joining the club or wanting to be,”—Jonghyun chuckled rather helplessly—“_my boyfriend_… Jesus, these things take time. I don’t even know shit about you.”

“My birthday is in August,” Minhyun supplied unhelpfully. 

“Right, okay, shut up.”

“The ninth of August.”

“_Hwang Minhyun-ssi._”

“Okay, how about we play a game, President Kim?”

Jonghyun furrowed his brows. “A game.”

“Yes. It’s called _Playing Dumb_, do you know that one?”

“What.”

“So. Rules,” Minhyun rattled on, unfazed. “You and I forget whatever I said about liking you or wanting to be your boyfriend and all that. We pretend I’m still just a JT Gamers wannabe. Then, we take time and know shit about one another. And then we can be friends, right?” 

“...I thought we’re already friends. Sort of.”

“Oh,” Minhyun had to swallow a lump in his throat, finding it incredibly sweet that Jonghyun already considered him a friend—sort of. Was that why he was so focused on Minhyun’s being in JT Gamers? “You’re right, we’re sort of friends who’ll then become actual friends after getting to know one another better… Right?”

“...Right.”

“Then afterwards… maybe I’ll tell you that I like you and, if you like me too, I can finally fill out and submit a boyfriend application form and you can approve it. How does that sound?”

Minhyun’s expectant countenance, as if he had just designed and presented the most groundbreaking game of all time, was quite a sight to behold. Jonghyun thought it adorable, sure, but he wasted no time critiquing the proposal.

“You forget who wins the game, and how.”

“Oh.” Minhyun paused to reflect. “Whoever first crosses the line of friendship will lose the game. Or maybe win a boyfriend—depends on how you look at it, really.”

“Well, I don't know… This doesn’t look like a two-player game, Minhyun-ssi,” Jonghyun mused. “You’re the player, sure, but me… I’m just the setting.”

“You’re the prize, Jonghyun-ah,” Minhyun beamed proudly, “and I’ll do my best to win you.” 

Jonghyun snorted, and a muffled _Bangkok City_ could be heard from his bag. He fished his ringing phone out, looked at the caller ID, and answered, “Seungcheol-ah?”

“_IT’S TAEYONG, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU—DID MINHYUN KIDNAP YOU???_”

Jonghyun flinched, his ears ringing. “We—oh. We missed the shop.” Retrieving his bearings, he nudged Minhyun to follow him. “Yes, yes, we’re on our way, Taeyongie… Stop crying now… Yes, you are… Okay, bye,” and Jonghyun ended the call.

Minhyun went on even as they walked back. “Anyway, of course, you’re game master too, so you’re welcome to change things up and play with me.”

“I can be your prize, too, you know,” he added, “You’ve technically already won me, you’ll just have to _play dumb_—see what I did there—about it for a bit to give me a fighting chance. And we won’t really be competing against each other, too. Wouldn’t it be just like the claw machines or something—whoa!”

When Jonghyun had grabbed his hand and pulled him back, Minhyun found himself face to face with him. Their faces were the closest they’ve ever been, and he could even see himself reflected in Jonghyun’s eyes. “We’re here,” Jonghyun murmured.

Minhyun gulped. “Okay.”

Jonghyun’s scrutinizing gaze almost succeeded in making Minhyun lose some of his composure had he not spoken and broken the tension when he did. “You’re ridiculous, do you know that?” Sighing, Jonghyun let his hand go and nodded. “Fine. I’ll play.”

“You will?”

“I will.”

“Thank you, Jonghyun-ah.” There was no question that Minhyun was delighted and thus folded Jonghyun in his arms.

“Minhyun-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“Food and drinks are not allowed here.”

“Yeah?”

“You're still holding a melted ice cream cone.”

“Oh. Shit.” And Minhyun pulled away, scrambling to find the nearest bin. “Oh, yuck. Jonghyun-ah, have you got any wet wipes?”

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays to everyone! I hope you like this little thing I made for Christmas.


	10. Strictly Confidential

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonghyun eats his breakfast and leaves the JT Gamers officers to discuss ‘matters’ on their own. Youngmin is an accomplished corporate secretary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to take up this space to dedicate Gimmick Game to [ice_flow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ice_flow/pseuds/ice_flow) who I realized was actually the one who made me write 2hyun again this year. Thank you, my friend, uhwuvyu!

**— » — « —**

“Off the record, I’m just disappointed you didn’t make him do _ Ma Boy _ in front of Minhyun instead.” Seungcheol was saying to Taeyong in the middle of their meeting. A beat later, “Wait, do put in on the record, Youngmin. I would like to ask why our internal VP made him Lee Hi instead of Sistar19.”

Taeyong shook his head. “Get over it, Cheol. Sistar19 would place Jonghyunnie in grave danger. Minki wasn’t present, therefore, I won’t allow it. Besides, he was up for Lee Hi, it’s in the calendar.”

A pause, then Youngmin said, “Taeyong’s right, last Sunday was Lee Hi.”

_ Jonghyun-ah… I didn’t make it. :’((( _

_ How come? _ Jonghyun typed and sent, placed his phone back down and continued munching on his egg toast. The execom meeting has already concluded as far as Jonghyun is concerned—he wasn’t going to bother with the ‘final item on the agenda’, but knowing that his club officers won’t let matters rest, he didn’t bother stopping them from ‘discussing’ him and Minhyun either. At least he can focus on finishing his food.

Seungcheol pouted. “So, are you saying you’re dead set against Hwang Minhyun being thoroughly smitten with our Kim Jonghyun?” 

Said Kim Jonghyun couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he quietly chewed.

Taeyong opened his mouth to confirm his protest but appeared to have thought better of it. “I’m not dead set against. I just have some reservations.”

Jonghyun took another bite of toast, zoning out of the conversation when a reply came in. 

_ Can I tell you in person? Let’s have lunch. _

_ If it’s just you being either slow or stupid, we can stick to text. _

“Like?” Youngmin prompted as he went on taking notes. “Does he have any sort of record? Bad rep?”

“Jisoo-hyung knows him,” Wonwoo offered, reading up from his phone screen. “Says they’re in the same class, and that he’s quite popular on campus.”

_ OK but are we still having lunch later? _

_ I’m still eating breakfast. Can’t think about having lunch just yet. _

“Wow, a popular guy,” Youngmin noted.

“He does look popular,” Seungcheol agreed. “He didn’t seem too bad, right, Wonwoo?” and for Youngmin’s benefit, he added, “We also met him last Sunday at the PC shop and he was nice and personable. He was here Monday, too. Didn’t seem like he knew games enough to be a member but he seemed willing to learn.”

_ Won’t hurt to plan ahead. _

_ OK. _

Wonwoo looked up and towards Jonghyun, debating if he should say something. Taeyong caught his hesitation and asked, “Wonwoo-yah?”

“He did have a sticky hand last Sunday, hyung,” Wonwoo divulged, “and I was wondering if that had anything to do with your jumping to the conclusion that they’ve had—you know, last night.”

A pregnant pause and there were a total of three different reactions right after—a horrified Taeyong, an embarrassed Youngmin, and a confused Seungcheol. “Wait, I don’t get it,” the last one said.

_ Is that ‘OK we’ll have lunch later’ or? _

_ OR :) _

“Remember when Taeyong-hyung came in asking if we’ve seen them when all of them were supposed to be together?” Wonwoo reminded Seungcheol. “And Taeyong-hyung was crying thinking something happened to Jonghyun-hyung?”

“Hey, I wasn’t crying,” Taeyong interjected.

“What if… something did happen… is what I’m wondering,” Wonwoo finished, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“What does having a sticky hand have anything to do with—,” Seungcheol began but left his sentence hanging when his eyes went wide with realization, followed by disbelief. “Oh my god, Jonghyun-ah!”

Jonghyun looked up, startled. “What?”

“You were—were you—,” Seungcheol sputtered. “You went out to get wipes!”

“What...?”

“That day you came in late with Minhyun,” Taeyong wheezed. “You were both looking for tissues.”

Jonghyun thought back and nodded, “Yeah, his hand was sticky…,” and frowning at the overall discomfiture that everyone was exhibiting, he continued testily, his eyes darkening, “...with melted ice cream. What on earth did you all think it was?”

Another pregnant pause and,

“Sorry, hyung!” Wonwoo gasped before ducking, shoulders shaking with poorly disguised laughter.

“Wonwoo-yah!” Seungcheol reached out to strangle the other boy.

“Wow, I’m putting on record that Wonwoo is a little shit,” Youngmin shook his head. 

_ So much for being friends, you won’t even have lunch with me :’(((((( _

Completely losing his appetite, Jonghyun sighed and stood up. Going over to Youngmin, he reviewed the meeting notes before pronouncing his sentence for their club treasurer. “This meeting is adjourned and you’re now on cleanup duty, Jeon Wonwoo-ssi. Make sure you get enough bleach for you and everyone in this room.”

“Jonghyun-hyung, I wasn’t the one who jumped to conclusions, it’s them!” Wonwoo managed to untangle himself from Seungcheol’s clutches and give Jonghyun a back hug instead, much to the indignance of the rest of the committee. “Hyung…” and his mollifying tone went down to a low whisper, “you’re not really mad, are you?”

“You knew it was just ice cream, didn’t you?”

“I did. I just thought—,”

“Yeah, that one was actually funny, even if your mom’s gonna be so disappointed,” Jonghyun murmured, tapping Wonwoo’s arm good-naturedly before making a show of rejecting his affections. “I’m leaving you all, goodbye,” he then announced, gathering his things, only pausing to type something into his phone.

_ I’ll just have kimbap with you then. See you at noon? _

“Where are you going, Jonghyunnie, we’re in the same class,” Taeyong asked, frowning at how unusually busy Jonghyun was with his phone.

“We are,” Jonghyun quipped. “I’m just not going with you.”

_ Really? :o _

“You’re leaving me?” The panic in his eyes was far from affected. “What did I do?”

Relenting, Jonghyun sighed and opened his backpack. Tossing a pack at Taeyong, he explained. “You’re not going to class in two-day-old clothes, Taeyongie, you have a reputation to uphold.”

“Oh.” Taeyong blinked. Looking up at his best friend, he quivered, “so you still love me?”

“Of course. I will always love you. Now, can I go?”

“I’ll go with you, Jonghyun-ah,” Youngmin interjected, having finished packing his own things. “We’ll save you a seat, Taeyongie!” And before Taeyong could protest, he grabbed Jonghyun by the arm, dragging him out of the club room, even as the latter was again staring at his phone. “Who’s that you’re texting?”

“Minhyunnie,” Jonghyun answered, hitting ‘send’. _ Really. :) _

Youngmin missed a step and stumbled. “Really?” Despite himself, he snatched Jonghyun’s phone to check. Scrolling through the recent conversation, Youngmin remarked, “Wow, you guys are flirting. And now you have a lunch date.”

_ Whoa :o OK :D See you at noon! _

“It’s not a lunch date, Youngmin-ah.”

“No worries, President Kim, I’m your secretary. I can keep things strictly confidential if you like.”

“It’s not a lunch date.”

Youngmin squinted, trying to read the expression on Jonghyun’s face. “Not a lunch date… Not a boyfriend… Can I get another hint?”

Jonghyun sighed, taking his phone back. “Look, I’ll save you the trouble and give the answer: He’s just a friend.”

Youngmin scoffed. “I’m your friend, Jonghyunnie, and we don’t text like this.”

“We don’t text, Youngminnie, we chat.”

“Haha, very funny.” Youngmin settled with just slinging an arm over Jonghyun’s hunched shoulders. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, my friend, but I do think that Hwang Minhyun wants to be more than just friends with you.”

Jonghyun laughed.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I had wanted to end Gimmick Game in 10 chapters but idk what happened so I'll just end the year with these 10 chapters and idk how many more will there be next year.
> 
> Happy New Year, everyone! :D


	11. All Caught Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyun discovers a latent ability called shyness. Jonghyun meets a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's made a comeback (albeit probably not enough "screen time") this chapter, woooooo~

**— » — « —**

Minhyun may have thought he was hallucinating when he found Jonghyun waiting for him at noon, a bag of sliced kimbap rolls in hand. But then minutes later they were really sitting together outside the Music building, occupying the top seats of the mini amphitheatre where other students usually took their lunch breaks too. Minhyun sat him and Jonghyun high enough to see everything else and at the same time have a bit of privacy, too, conversation-wise.

Jonghyun did, in fact, brought kimbap for them but what may have taken Minhyun’s breath away was the fact that he bought grapefruit tea for him, too. Learning how Jonghyun had to roundabout ask Dongho about Minhyun’s preferred drink so he could keep it a surprise was something he did not expect at all, and Jonghyun’s cool, nonchalant admittance of it may have sent a wobble or two down Minhyun’s normally stable knees.

“So when are you going to let me listen to that demo?” Jonghyun was asking, peeling with his teeth a slice off of his foiled-wrapped kimbap. He had waited for Minhyun outside of the department’s studio where the Music major had been finishing up a demo recording of the songwriting homework he had had to submit last week.

“Dunno,” Minhyun retorted, smiling a little, albeit uneasily. It was the same song that he had mentioned to Jonghyun in passing when they first met and the same song that Jonghyun had remembered to ask him about. Minhyun may have been able to finish the said song with the gamer club president in mind… and now it seems he was also right in time to hear the demo version of it? Minhyun wondered if it was just him or there was something in the kimbap that was making him feel somewhat… stifled. “Maybe later. Maybe never,” he managed with as much nonchalance as Jonghyun would.

Snorting, Jonghyun waited until he could swallow before asking, “Are you actually being shy about it?”

“Shy,” Minhyun snorted too. Then realizing that it was exactly what he was feeling stifled for—wow, so he really was being shy??—he added, “So what if I am?”

“Doesn’t suit you, if I’m being honest,” Jonghyun answered, chuckling at Minhyun’s little display of indignance. “But if you’re really shy, it’s fine. I just kind of wanted to hear you sing. Dongho said you sounded really good.”

Mollified, Minhyun looked away and cleared his throat. “Okay, maybe later.” 

Jonghyun smothered his laughter by taking another bite of kimbap while wiggling joyfully and pumping his other fist in the air in mock celebration. Minhyun shoved him playfully, laughing along.

Their attention was taken up by a rather obnoxious singsong call of “Minhyunnieeeeeeeeeeee!” that subsequently drew the attention of the rest of the students in the amphitheatre towards them, even if only for a short time. Minhyun’s eyes narrowed towards the figure climbing up the steps, obviously headed for them.

“The fuck why is Seongwu here,” Minhyun cursed under his breath when he recognized him.

“Heeey!” Ong Seongwu greeted again when he was within earshot. “So I came as soon as I heard from Dongho—” and seeing Jonghyun was looking up at him curiously, “Hi!”

“Hi,” Jonghyun replied, unable to resist grinning back at the newcomer.

“Whoa, aren’t you cute,” Seongwu blurted out, taking up a seat between them albeit one step higher. He and Jonghyun smiled and blinked at one another for a while before both of them turned to Minhyun expectantly.

Despite having eyes still narrowed at Seongwu, Minhyun did a fair job of hiding how begrudgingly he was introducing the two. “Jonghyun-ah, this is Ong Seongwu. Ong, Kim Jonghyun.”

“Oh. _Hi_, Kim Jonghyun-ssi,” Seongwu’s grin only widened, his expressive eyes narrowing into giddy slits. “Nice to meet you,” he said, holding out a hand for Jonghyun to shake. The excitement in his voice was apparent. “No worries, I’m just a friend of Minhyun’s.”

“Oh. Nice to finally meet you, I think,” Jonghyun answered, frowning a little as he shook Seongwu’s hand while trying to jog his memory. “It was probably from Dongho or Minki that I’ve heard your name, Ong Seongwu-ssi.”

“You’ve heard of me too?” Seongwu’s pitch was grating on Minhyun’s ears which, given the circumstances with which Seongwu may or may not be playing at, were turning a bright shade of red the more he and Jonghyun talked. “That’s awesome because I’ve heard a lot about you, you know?” he said. Minhyun stared at Seongwu in alarm.

“Right, yes, from Dongho and Minki,” Minhyun cut in, trying—and failing—to shove a kimbap slice into Seongwu’s mouth to shut him up. “That’s, um, how I heard about you, too,” he finished lamely.

Jonghyun stared at the two friends for a moment before nodding in understanding. “You meant my gamers club, right?” he corrected, the glint in his eyes indicating some level of amusement.

“Yeah,” Minhyun’s laugh was tiny and shrill. “They were totally raving about JT Gamers so I, uh, thought I’d check it out, yep,” he added, clearing his throat and taking a much-needed sip from his grapefruit tea.

“Yeah,” Seongwu purred. “Minhyunnie was a hundred per cent interested… in joining the club, I mean.”

“Yeah,” Jonghyun concurred, glancing kindly towards Minhyun. “He did say.”

“Ah, _did he?_” Seongwu’s chin rested on his palm, paying all of his attention towards what Jonghyun was saying.

“Yeah.”

“What do you think about it, Kim Jonghyun-ssi?”

“Seongwu-yah,” Minhyun started, warningly.

“Me?” Jonghyun thought for a moment, his eyes never leaving those of his new acquaintance. “It doesn’t matter what I think. Joining the club requires a process, after all.”

Seongwu raised his brows. “Fair enough, I guess,” he conceded after a while.

“And processes take time, so,” Jonghyun ended with a noncommittal shrug, breaking eye contact with Minhyun’s enigmatic friend so he could look at his not-a-lunch-date. “Minhyun-ah, do you think I could borrow your laptop for a bit?”

Still reeling from what he thought was gonna be an eternity’s worth of ribbing and teasing no thanks to his idiotic, meddlesome friend, Minhyun vaguely registered how he handed his laptop bag over to Jonghyun without question. Even Jonghyun’s grip on his hand, so he could unlock the computer with his fingerprint, didn’t seem to have passed through his stream of consciousness until he realized that the Engineering major had taken his phone as well.

“Jonghyun-ah?”

It didn’t take too long before his phone was returned to Minhyun, however, and both he and Seongwu stared dumbly as Jonghyun opened a series of folders in the laptop and quietly studied them, his lunch still half-eaten. After a while, he closed all windows, closed the laptop, and slid it back inside the bag that he then returned to Minhyun.

“Thanks,” Jonghyun said, but not without murmuring something like, _Guess we’ll just have to do it that way_, or so Minhyun thought he heard. If only he wasn’t too preoccupied with mutely shooing Seongwu away.

“Aren’t you supposed to meet someone else for lunch, Seongwu-yah?” Minhyun then offered rather pointedly.

Seongwu made a face at his friend but stood up anyway. “I guess I am.” Hopping off the higher seat, he faced Jonghyun again, unabashedly staring at the other boy. “Really nice to meet you, Jonghyun-ssi. See you around?”

“Sure,” Jonghyun replied easily, waving goodbye to Seongwu and watching him bound down the steps, be greeted by a group of friends, and finally spirited away from the amphitheatre. “You didn’t have to drive him away like that,” he said to Minhyun.

“He’s annoying,” Minhyun scoffed. As his expression softened with genuine curiosity, he then asked, “What was that about my laptop?”

“Ah, that. Sorry if it seemed shady or whatever but I was just curious about your specs.”

“I’m sorry, my what?”

“Specs?” Jonghyun repeated, “Your laptop specs?”

“Oh… _Specs_.”

The gamer chuckled sympathetically.

“But what was that for?” Was Minhyun’s valiant attempt at shifting the topic.

“You’ll see,” Jonghyun answered softly, his hand then reaching out for him.

Minhyun’s breath hitched when he felt his jaw being held in place by Jonghyun’s surprisingly strong fingers. He felt the other boy’s thumb grazing the corner of his mouth and, soon, a soft, tiny object was being pushed in the gap between his lips.

“Let’s not leave a single grain of rice to waste,” Jonghyun said, looking at Minhyun’s mouth before meeting his eyes.

The corners of his mouth pulled, his lips parting to accept the rice grain that Jonghyun had pressed against it. “Mm,” Minhyun mumbled, not really bothered how his lips were still pressed against the flat of Jonghyun’s thumb, effectively kissing it as he spoke. “So my mother keeps on telling me.”

“Same,” Jonghyun agreed. His fingers lingered on the side of Minhyun’s face before he pulled away and resumed eating.

“Minhyun-ah, you know that bit about processes and taking time?” He then said after a moment, leaning back against the stone seats.

Minhyun nodded and followed suit, chewing in silence as he waited for Jonghyun to continue.

“I guess I may already have caught up, after all.”

Minhyun’s head snapped to the side, unable to believe what he had just heard, yet at the same time, his mouth was threatening to break into a grin. Jonghyun’s was pursed yet restless—like he was fighting hard to not smile—and he threw Minhyun a meaningful glance before shrugging.

“I guess you didn’t have too much of a hard time keeping up, my friend,” Minhyun couldn’t help but quip. He scooted closer next to Jonghyun, linking their arms together and playfully laying his head on the other boy’s shoulder.

They ate their kimbap in silence.

“Do you usually eat lunch with your friends like this?”

“Yep.”

“Okay. So did you like the kimbap today?”

“Yep,” and Minhyun snuggled closer. “It’s really good, Jonghyun-_oppa_.”

And Jonghyun-oppa cracked up.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) Also yes, that last bit was adapted from this [NU'EST x Spoonz 2hyun hoe-manship video](https://youtu.be/GEM5mQOXxLI). <strike>but I don't know where I should go looking to find it, could anyone please point me in the right direction?</strike> Thank you for the link! 💕
> 
> (2) Apologies for butchering Seongwu's name--corrected the spelling here and in the last chapter that he was in. >.<


	12. Starter Pack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyun is caught off-guard when an out-of-season gift-giving comes suddenly upon him.

**— » — « —**

“Oh, god,” Seonho gasped in his _sunbae_'s ear before saying in a regular voice, “Hey there, Guanlin-ah.”

Minhyun looked up from the textbook he was reading and saw Lai Guanlin giving Seonho a shy smile. 

“Hi, Seonho,” the Engineering freshman greeted, and Minhyun could finally place a voice on the name and face that his self-proclaimed protege had been gushing over since the start of the term. He could also feel said self-proclaimed protege trying not to gush next to him. They were in the library, after all, and Minhyun knew how Seonho could be… effervescent… and loud whenever he talked to him about Guanlin.

“Um… please correct me if I’m wrong but are you Hwang Minhyun-_sunbaenim_?” The shy smile was now being directed at Minhyun. 

Neither of them expected that Guanlin would be addressing him, however, and Minhyun’s face was openly curious as he nodded and confirmed his identity. “Yes, I am. Can I help you?”

Guanlin breathed out in relief and immediately took the seat across Seonho. “I’m so glad,” the boy answered cheerfully, lifting onto the next chair a box wrapped in black paper and silver trimmings with much care. “I was worried I’d have a hard time finding you but Jonghyun-hyung gave me a tip and said it might be easier if I look for Seonho first, so I did and—”

The mention of the name had Minhyun unceremoniously cutting off the narrative. “Jonghyun-hyung?” he merely parrotted, then tried to hide his embarrassment at the lack of self-control. 

Guanlin didn’t seem to mind the interruption and nodded, “Yeah, he’s our club president—well, president of the club I’m applying for, Seonho knows this—and he’s my mentor and he’s really awesome about giving me an awesome final task, and so here I am.”

“That’s… awesome, Guanlin-ah,” Seonho managed to say, not really understanding what’s going on, with Minhyun similarly nodding in blind agreement. “So, was your final task to just find Minhyun-hyung?”

“Well, I was supposed to find _the_ Hwang Minhyun and then give this to him,” Guanlin replied, then placing the box on the table and sliding it towards Minhyun. “And then I’m to wait for further instructions from him.” 

He then handed Minhyun a thick black envelope, gesturing for him to open it. Inside was a card on which a message was scrawled somewhat haphazardly.

_ Dear Minhyun-ah, _

_ I think it’s fair to say given our past interactions in the last four weeks that we’ve become friends by now, in record time, too. In celebration of this—though I do wish I could celebrate the occasion with you if it weren’t for certain commitments—I’ve sent a little gift thru Guanlin (he’s my mentee for this batch of JT Gamers applicants) as part of his final task but, more importantly, so I could properly express my gratitude towards having you around in my life. _

_ Thanks for being weird from the very start, my friend. _

_ — Kim Jonghyun _

There were a couple more sealed envelopes but were labelled “to be opened after the box (1)” and “(2)” so Minhyun, interest piqued, turned his attention towards the box. He had guessed that it was a gift, but he neither predicted that it would be for him nor expected that it was from Jonghyun. Unwrapping it, he paled.

“Shit.”

“Wow.”

Opening the next envelope, Minhyun read the card and gave it to Guanlin, saying rather shakily, “It says to ask for your help in setting this thing up.” Soon enough, his voice rose a pitch higher, adding in a semi-frantic whisper, “oh my god, Jonghyun, what in the actual fuck?”

He was glad they were seated at a table nearest to the wall; it was easier to be discreet as Guanlin took his seat and unboxed a gaming laptop which, despite Jonghyun’s claim that it wasn’t brand new, pretty much looked brand new.

_ ‘I haven’t used this one long enough before I was given a new one so I was looking for a use for it. Care to be gaming buddies for real?’ _ Another note had said. 

He wanted to feel insulted that Jonghyun thought he needed help in setting up a laptop— sure, he was a little shocked by the gift but anyone could get over that— but it turns out he had no idea what a ‘steam login’ meant while Guanlin did. There were more instructions for the freshman and, thanks to Seonho’s natural curiosity, he was able to understand the situation by hearing the answers to questions that Minhyun himself would have had to ask; if only he wasn't currently suffering from a tiny little mental breakdown.

“So Steam’s an online gaming platform, you can buy games from here and chat with friends all that stuff,” Guanlin was saying while inputting the password to the account name _‘optimushwang’_ on the login page. Apparently, Jonghyun had set it up for him, too.

“Whoa, Minhyun-_sunbaenim_, look at this. You only have one friend so far but you’ve already got five gifts.”

“Five what?” And peering at the laptop screen, Minhyun felt his face burning as he read each and every message that came with the gifts that Jonghyun, or in this case, _‘pockyjr’_, had apparently given him.

* * *

**You’ve received a gift!**

> _To Hwang Minhyun,_
> 
> _I thought of you the moment this came out. I think you’ll have fun collecting these vacuum cleaner warriors and fight for the cleaner good. Haha._
> 
> _XOXOXO,_  
_Kim Jonghyun_

From **pockyjr** on 9 Aug  
Status: Unredeemed

**| Accept gift | | Decline gift |**

* * *

**You’ve received a gift!**

> _To Hwang Minhyun,_
> 
> _How about growing your own veggie idols and making them battle against rivals for world domination? Heard some of the songs; super catchy._
> 
> _Happy birthday!_
> 
> _Kim Jonghyun_

From **pockyjr** on 9 Aug  
Status: Unredeemed

**| Accept gift | | Decline gift |**

* * *

**You’ve received a gift!**

> _To Hwang Minhyun,_
> 
> _You might want to go to space and explore the universe in the meantime with this. Name a galaxy after me?_
> 
> _XOXOXO,_  
_Kim Jonghyun_

From **pockyjr** on 9 Aug  
Status: Unredeemed

**| Accept gift | | Decline gift |**

* * *

**You’ve received a gift!**

> _To Hwang Minhyun,_
> 
> _Since we can’t go to a cat cafe without triggering your allergies, just build your own zoo._
> 
> _Happy birthday!_
> 
> _Kim Jonghyun_

From **pockyjr** on 9 Aug  
Status: Unredeemed

**| Accept gift | | Decline gift |**

* * *

**You’ve received a gift!**

> _To Hwang Minhyun,_
> 
> _Let’s meet up in-game sometime and survive the zombie apocalypse together. :)_
> 
> _XOXOXO,_  
_Kim Jonghyun_

From **pockyjr** on 9 Aug  
Status: Unredeemed

**| Accept gift | | Decline gift |**

* * *

Birthday gifts. Jonghyun remembered his birthday and set up a gaming account for him as a gift. And bought games for him as more gifts. Sent him a fucking laptop five days later to use those gifts with.

“Should I install the games for you too, Hyung?” Guanlin asked.

Minhyun blinked at the question, his mind still preoccupied with his runaway thoughts. “Yeah…” he trailed off. He watched as Guanlin and Seonho busied themselves over Jonghyun’s—now Minhyun’s?—laptop while Minhyun still absently clutched at the first card. 

“You know what, yeah, go ahead and install everything, if that’s alright with you, Guanlin-ah,” Minhyun then said, appearing to have made a decision. “Do you know if Jonghyun is in the JT club room right now?”

“Yeah, he’s working on a deadline for another thing, said he’s going to be stuck there all day.”

“Thanks. Feel free to test the games, you two,” he said as he gathered his things. Minhyun left Seonho and Guanlin bright-eyed and excited over the gadget.

**— » — « —**

The twenty-minute power nap that Jonghyun promised himself was cut brusquely in half; he was jolted awake by the door rattling open. Through heavy-lidded view, he saw Minhyun step in and spot his lounging form on the semi-worn out couch. He felt Minhyun hesitate, hearing the reluctant steps it took to peek at what looked like Jonghyun’s sleeping face.

“Hey,” Jonghyun croaked, still barely squinting through his tired eyes but not without a smile on his lips.

“I'm sorry if I woke you up,” Minhyun replied, accepting the space on the couch that Jonghyun scooched over to make. A languid arm rested on Minhyun’s lap; he did all he could to resist immediately taking the hand in his own.

“It’s fine,” Jonghyun sighed. “What’s up?”

“I got your laptop,” Minhyun answered, studying the features of the boy who lay before him. The said boy made an effort to open his eyes and look up at him.

“Did you like it? It’s not as fast as the one I’m currently using but it’s high enough for a lot of games.”

“Jonghyun-ah, did you really just give me a gaming laptop?”

“It’s a late birthday present. And for Friendship Day.”

Friendship Day. Considering what he came here for, it was funny that itʼs Friendship Day, which was not International Friendship Day (it ended two weeks ago) but rather, the first whole month since Minhyun and Jonghyun became `friendsʼ. Also known as the day they started _Playing Dumb_. (Ironically, they had decided this on the actual International Friendship Day when they were having one of their not-a-lunch-dates and the topic came up.) 

“The thing is,” Minhyun began, giving in and taking Jonghyun’s hand to draw imaginary Hangul characters on the palm of it, “I want to forfeit.”

“Forfeit what?”

“Being friends.”

Minhyun had avoided looking at him when he said it, and when he looked back, Jonghyun was frowning up at him.

“I give up, Jonghyun-ah,” he went on. “I don’t want to play anymore.”

Jonghyun’s expression cleared when he understood what Minhyun meant. “Done with _ Playing Dumb _?”

Minhyun nodded. “Youʼve only made me like you so much more and I can’t really figure out how much of you I’ve managed to win over so here I am telling you that I give up… and that I like you a lot.”

Jonghyun thought for a bit, then sighed as he pulled himself up into a sitting position to better face Minhyun. “What clinched it?”

Minhyun made a face, knowing that Jonghyun was probably asking just so he could never let him live it down, competitive as he is. He answered anyway. “You sent me messages signed XOXOs on my birthday. I realized I really just wanted the actual things, the real ones—,” and noticing how Jonghyun was just staring blankly at him, he frowned. “Please don’t tell me you don’t know what XOXOs mean.”

“No, I know,” Jonghyun replied easily. “I was just waiting for you to shut up so I could kiss you.”

“Oh.”

“Are you done?”

Minhyun was about to open his mouth to answer when he thought better of it, nodding instead. Pulled suddenly into Jonghyun’s arms, his gasp was muffled by the crashing of their lips; clumsily at first until both of them figured out the mechanics of this new game they seemed to have decided between themselves.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> I hope you like this parting post (for now) because updates won't be as regular again. I'm working on a piece (or pieces? 👀) for the Nu'Fics Spring Blessings fic fest so I'm not sure how much time I will have for Gimmick Game. Hopefully, I can still update this from time to time, but just in case I end up going MIA again, well, you know, lol.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has shown interest and expressed love towards this little(?) series!💕 I never expected the amount of feedback this work has received so I'm very grateful to everyone who took time to read and let me know what they thought about it.
> 
> See you all soon. Like, next week. LOL, JK.
> 
> Further notes:  
One comment asked which games Jonghyun picked for Minhyun and here they are (2 out 5 are just parodies of games lol):  
(1) I call it KyuumColle, short for Vacuum Cleaner Fleet Collection and it's all about vacuum cleaners personified as girls and boys aged 16+ in a go green sustainable living warzone. Minhyun would probably wanna collect them all. [PARODY] based on KanColle lmao  
(2) I call it Veggie Idols, where Minhyun has to grow various vegetables into kpop Idols once they're ready to debut. They sing and dance as baby veggies during training period. [PARODY] I think I picked this up from somewhere but I forget :/  
(3) It's Kerbal Space Program [ACTUAL] hahaha  
(4) It's Planet Zoo [ACTUAL] uwu  
(5) It's Zombie Army Trilogy. [ACTUAL] Very romantic, perfect for 2hyun date night. 😗


	13. Beta Testing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are all right between Jonghyun and Minhyun; they both seem to like where they are going. At least until they start talking about schedules.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Long time no see over here :)
> 
> I've been slowly working on completing Gimmick Game in the shadows so I could return with a regular posting schedule BUT I realized today is HEA first anniversary so never mind schedules I'm posting what I have in celebration for our OT5 comeback anniversary, yay~

**— » — « —**

Kim Jonghyun’s twenty-minute power nap concluded with him and Hwang Minhyun as a tangle of limbs sprawled across the JT Gamers’ club room couch, apparently as more-than-actual friends. Their kisses started off eager, almost frantic, and rather clumsy—Jonghyun’s rib still hurt from the time Minhyun accidentally elbowed him in the latter’s attempt to get rid of his bag and sit on the former’s lap as they made out—and during which the door of the club room rattled open again.

“Oh, wow,” Youngmin blurted out, frozen in his spot. He didn’t know what to make of Jonghyun and Minhyun sucking each other’s faces right in front of him, which Jonghyun caught from his peripheral and led him to roughly pull away from Minhyun.

“Youngmin, hi,” Jonghyun gasped.

“Uh, hi yes,” the club secretary, reanimated back to life, wheezed. “I’m so sorry, Jonghyun-ah, Minhyun-ah, I didn’t mean to interrupt, it’s just—my bag,” Youngmin spouted as he made a beeline for the conference table where his bag sat beside Jonghyun’s things.

“Oh, no, it’s…it’s fine,” Minhyun answered lamely. He and Jonghyun were already flushed but they had turned a deeper shade of crimson at having been walked in on.

While still mortified, Youngmin couldn’t help but give the pair a knowing smile as he heaved his backpack one shoulder at a time. “I’m glad you guys, uh, worked it out,” he added rather keenly, looking like he would’ve stayed longer to chat if he wasn’t aware of the situation they were in. “Anyway, okay, bye!” And he hastened towards the exit, thoughtfully snapping the lock in place before sliding the door closed.

“Is it all right that he saw us?” Minhyun asked.

“It’s fine, he knows a bit. He’s the one who helped me out with the gift.”

“Really? Youngmin is so nice. I should thank him too, huh?”

“Yes. Thank him later,” Jonghyun said, pulling Minhyun back towards him.

They mellowed out significantly after that. Knowing they would less likely be interrupted again, Jonghyun and Minhyun took their time, savoring each other’s lips until they were breathless and content. They were oddly quiet, too, when they broke apart for a bit of air, as if both of them were waiting for the other to say something. Neither of them said anything for a good while though; they just took turns leaning forward for small kisses at random intervals between staring at each other. Minhyun was itching to say something, anything, to break the tender silence, but he was distracted by Jonghyun’s smile—a smile that knew what he wanted and that he had got it, and a smile that knew he was wanted in return. After all, Minhyun did just admit to Jonghyun that he really liked him. A lot.

“You look really smug, do you know that?” Minhyun finally managed.

“Sorry,” Jonghyun replied, looking far from it. His grin only grew bigger.

“Did I even win you over for just a teeny tiny bit?”

Jonghyun frowned. “Did you think I would kiss you if I didn’t like you at all?”

“I mean,” Minhyun sighed, backtracking a little to try and figure out what just happened. He forfeited being Jonghyun’s ‘friend’ and gave up on the game and lost… Now what would that make of him? “Wait, so you _do_ like me, right?” he concluded rather hesitantly.

“I like you, yes.”

“Then, I can still file a boyfriend application…right?”

Jonghyun laughed, and so did Minhyun with him. “I don’t know…the paperwork can get really atrocious at times.”

“I could draft it and we can discuss later if you like.”

“Sounds good.” Jonghyun then pressed a quick kiss on Minhyun’s cheek before untangling himself and returning to the conference table where he left his laptop earlier. “I better finish this, though,” he said, sitting down and firing his computer back up from sleep mode. 

“Finish what?” Minhyun asked, retrieving his bag and joining Jonghyun on the long and wide bench that served as conference table seats. “It’s just registration week for the fall semester. Are you still working on something?”

“Yeah, for a part-time job,” Jonghyun answered as he tapped away on the keyboard. Minhyun quietly regarded him for a moment before wrapping his arms around Jonghyun’s waist and resting his chin on Jonghyun’s shoulder to look at the screen. Dongho and Seonho were right; Jonghyun’s waist was undoubtedly small but solid—packed. Minhyun worked on his own muscles, too, and he had his height to cap it all off but Jonghyun’s proportions were also not something to be laughed about. Going to the gym and having a part-time job? Dongho had mentioned before that Jonghyun was a real hard worker; Minhyun realized his best friend had not been kidding at all.

“Jonghyun-ah, is this all right?” It didn’t seem like Jonghyun had any objections but Minhyun decided to ask anyway.

“I like it,” Jonghyun said, unfazed by having to work while someone clung to him the way Minhyun just did. “Just try not to be too distracting, okay? I need to submit this before the day ends.”

“Yes, President Kim…” Maybe Minhyun liked how Jonghyun just admitted that he wasn’t entirely unaffected by him. He dragged his butt towards the bench space behind Jonghyun so that the latter was now seated between Minhyun’s legs. 

Jonghyun laughed at how the other boy had just koala-hugged him from behind, tapping one of Minhyun’s legs so he could prop his feet up on the bench. Jonghyun then wrapped an arm around Minhyun’s knee and leaned against it, distributing their weight so he could work comfortably while Minhyun cuddled him. 

Minhyun fell silent for a while, content with just being ridiculously close. He found himself wondering if he could ever be like this with Jonghyun if he had not agreed to the dare from over a month ago.

Was he still even trying to win that stupid challenge at his point? A part of him still liked the thought of winning but it had become less of a priority lately. Minhyun realized that, at some point, he had begun to pursue this obvious attraction towards Jonghyun no longer because of some game but for his own sake.

Not that he had ever meant to play games with anyone before, nor had he ever strung them along like what rumours about him apparently had said. Intimacy—usually physical, sometimes emotional—had always been his intention whenever he struck a connection with someone. For a time, he would have a neat little arrangement—casual, convenient, and fun—until the other person started inserting commitment into the equation. Minhyun would then start closing off or backing out until he could cleanly break away. Dongho had often scolded him for not making things clear but, for his part, Minhyun thought he made things clear enough.

However, this thing with Jonghyun… What did it just become again? He had been so caught up with _Playing Dumb_ that— 

“What are you thinking about?”

His thoughts interrupted, Minhyun stalled for a bit to think of something that he could be ‘thinking about’. “I was just thinking about…” he trailed off. A beat later, he actually _did_ think of something. “I was thinking about how we should go out on a date.”

“Would love to,” Jonghyun said. “But I’m leaving on a trip for, uh, another part-time job.”

“Oh. I see,” Minhyun said, then he started. “Wait. You’re going on a trip?”

“Yeah.”

“Where are you going?”

“Shanghai.”

_Shanghai?_ Minhyun blinked. “When are you going?”

“Tomorrow.” Jonghyun felt Minhyun stiffen from behind him and so spared him a glance. He gave an apologetic smile at the shocked look that crossed the other boy’s face. “I’ll be back in two weeks or less…” he offered placatingly.

“Two weeks—Jonghyun-ah, _when_ were you going to tell me?” Minhyun sputtered despite internally doubting he had any actual right to be informed of such things. He wasn’t Jonghyun’s boyfriend, after all. At least, not yet.

“Mm,” Jonghyun then mused, eyes already back to his work. “It didn’t really cross my mind,” he said a moment later. “I did think there was a chance you’d come see me after you got my gift and that it could come up in conversation. But it would have also been all right if you didn’t.” He felt Minhyun’s hold on him loosen; Jonghyun shifted in his seat to get a better look at the other boy. “Minhyun-ah?”

Minhyun’s face was blank but only because he was reeling on the inside, struggling to process the information he just received. Kim Jonghyun was suddenly going to leave the country without even bothering to say a word to him about it? Right after giving him a taste of what they could be, Minhyun would be then left hanging for two weeks? Unbelievable, this Kim Jonghyun.

A huge part of him really wanted to be mad. Minhyun fought to keep his temper in check, however, because he was curious, too, and wanted to understand. He just didn’t know how to go about asking the many questions that flooded his thoughts. Not to mention, regardless of whether Jonghyun had planned to tell him or not, Jonghyun was still leaving the next day. Minhyun had to do something about that.

“It didn’t cross your mind that I would _miss_ you?” Minhyun said in a half-strangled voice.

“Oh.” Jonghyun stammered, looking a good deal contrite and embarrassed. “Sorry, Minhyun-ah, I didn’t—I mean, this was scheduled from a while back already and—this thing between us just sort of happened today—”

“Right, of course,” Minhyun interjected, flustered at the way his own words sounded, even to him. “I didn’t mean—sorry, I was just surprised. And I may have panicked. A bit.”

Jonghyun chuckled, more relieved than amused. “All right, just—just hold on and let me get back to you, okay?”

“Yes, okay.”

Jonghyun turned his attention back to his screen, pausing to fasten Minhyun’s arms tightly back around his waist. “I said, hold on.” Minhyun could hear the smile in Jonghyun’s voice and so he smiled too, burying his nose against the back of Jonghyun’s ear and pressing a tiny kiss on his pulse point.

Once again, they fell silent, letting the minutes pass in peace. Finally, Jonghyun sighed and closed his laptop, shaking Minhyun awake from napping on his shoulder. “Done?” Minhyun asked, straightening up and allowing Jonghyun to stand, stretch, and pack his things up.

“Yep, I’m done.” Zipping his backpack closed, Jonghyun sat back down and faced Minhyun. “I’m really sorry about earlier, for taking you by surprise. I was thinking I could make it up to you.”

Minhyun shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m sure you’ve got a flight to catch soon.”

Jonghyun nodded. “I do have to drive back to the hotel near the airport by tonight.”

“All right, yeah… Maybe you should head back—”

“So, we’re a bit short on time but do you want to stay the night with me at Incheon?”

“—especially if you haven’t finished packing—uhh, what?”

“You. Me. Hotel. Incheon. Tonight. Overnight?” Jonghyun recited, blushing despite his rather robotic delivery.

“Oh.” Minhyun blinked. “_Oh…_” More seconds passed before he remembered to breathe. “Shit.”

“Is that a ‘no’?”

“No, I mean—it’s a big, fat, ‘yes’ but, you know, my laptop’s still with Seonho... Can we go fetch it first?”

“Oh.” Maybe Jonghyun liked how Minhyun said ‘my laptop’ a little more than he probably should. “Of course, we can.”

**— » to be continued « —**


	14. Golden Tulip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyun stays for the night. Jonghyun leaves in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Are we all still alive? Me, I'm ded. I wasn't able to finish this chapter before comeback because I lost all brain functions thanks to vocalist!JR and that 2hyun moment from the MV teasers, no thanks to you sirs grrrrr

**— » — « —**

Maybe Minhyun felt a little self-conscious when he returned to the library but neither Seonho nor Guanlin asked him why he’d been away for over an hour. They were still on the laptop—Minhyun’s laptop—on which a still bright-eyed Guanlin was explaining to an equally bright-eyed Seonho one of the games he had finished setting up.

“Hello,” Minhyun greeted, and the two freshmen couldn’t help but express a bit of disappointment, knowing that their time with the gadget was up. “Sorry, kids,” he said, laughing a little.

“Are you leaving, Hyung?” Seonho asked, looking like he was about to beg him not to go.

“Yeah, I should bring this back to the dorm.”

Guanlin had already packed up the rest of the package—the box, accessories, the cute notes that he couldn’t stop Seonho from reading—and so he shut down the laptop while Seonho wheedled Minhyun into staying on campus even if he’s done registering for classes. It was the first time Guanlin met Seonho’s favourite sunbae in the whole world and he kept on wondering if Minhyun-hyung’s ears were really that red all the time.

“Thank you, Guanlin-ah,” Minhyun said when Guanlin handed him the laptop, trying to be as nonchalant as he could about putting the laptop inside the matching bag that Jonghyun had retrieved from his car and handed to Minhyun earlier. The younger student didn’t question where or how he even got it, of course, but did Minhyun see a flicker of recognition in Guanlin’s eyes?

Minhyun hastened with his goodbyes and left the library, the two freshmen waving at him until he went through the library doors. Seonho then stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder, nudging Guanlin to follow him. 

“Come on, hurry up before we lose him,” Seonho said, half-sprinting after Minhyun with Guanlin, who thankfully carried nothing else but his phone and wallet, right behind him.

They were just in time to see Minhyun walk over to the black coupe that just pulled up in front of the library building and then disappear into the passenger seat.

“Please don’t tell me that’s—” Seonho began.

“Jonghyun-hyung’s car suits him really well but he told me it’s just a rental—” Guanlin had been mildly gushing until he saw the worry in Seonho’s eyes. “Are you okay?”

Seonho sighed. “Guanlin-ah, promise me that if I get banned from showing up at the Engineering department, you’ll still come out and see me, okay?”

**— » — « —**

Jonghyun’s current room at the Golden Tulip was his favourite, so much that he knew it as well as he did his own room back in his and Taeyong’s apartment. He was glad Seungkwang-hyung remembered how Jonghyun loved the room from last time and decided to book them the same rooms again this year. Jonghyun was also grateful that Seungkwang-hyung raised neither questions nor objections when he called in earlier, asking whether it was okay if he brought in a guest for their last night in Korea. Their manager did laugh a little, however, and merely remarked that if Jonghyun wanted to bring someone, he’ll have to arrange it with the front desk himself.

It went off without a hitch anyhow and, soon, Minhyun was rummaging through the overnight bag he dropped off in Jonghyun’s room earlier. They’ve just returned from dinner at the hotel restaurant. “Shower’s over here, TV’s over there, and—um, sorry, the bed’s just a queen but I don’t mind sleeping on the sofa tonight,” Jonghyun was saying, making Minhyun laugh.

Minhyun showered and brushed first, returning with damp hair just as Jonghyun was about to doze off in front of the TV. He was sprawled on top of the bedcovers, eyes half-lidded watching an anime rerun on the cable. Minhyun realized that, apart from cramming a submission for his part-time job, Jonghyun may have also driven around a lot that day. From Incheon to Seoul in the morning to get to campus; then, instead of driving right back to Incheon, they had to stop by Minhyun’s dorm so he could leave his new laptop and pack himself an overnight bag. Maybe he felt rather sorry that Jonghyun adjusted much of his schedule just to ‘make it up to him’. Was it overreaction on Minhyun’s part to panic over a mere two-week trip? It was too late to ask Dongho now.

“Jonghyun-ah,” Minhyun called as he was tying the bathrobe over the white T-shirt and sleep shorts he’s changed into. “Your turn.”

Jonghyun lifted his head from the bed. “Oh, okay, thanks.”

Minhyun found himself engrossed with the anime rerun by the time Jonghyun returned wearing a similar bathrobe and joined him on the bed. Minhyun had switched off the main lights earlier, leaving just the bedside table lamps and illumination from the TV. They finished the episode together without uttering a single word—at least until Jonghyun switched the TV off, Minhyun discarded his robe, and they crawled under the bed covers, facing each other.

“Was it fun?” Jonghyun asked, turning to lie on his stomach and inadvertently scooting closer. “Our date, I mean.”

Minhyun grinned. “There were a few moments when you drove like the devil but, yeah, it was fun,” he answered, earning a chuckle from Jonghyun. Their fingertips touched. “Aren’t you tired from all that driving?”

“Not really. Are you?”

“No,” Minhyun chuckled.

“Then… do you want to do it?” Jonghyun then whispered.

“Do what?”

“Sex.”

Minhyun blinked. “What, like…right now?”

Jonghyun laughed a little, propping himself up on his elbows so he could properly shake his head. “No, of course not now, I was thinking maybe tomorrow at the airport—”

Minhyun had cut Jonghyun off with a peck. “Okay, yeah, that was a stupid question, shut up,” he grumbled, lowering his head back against the pillow.

“You still haven’t answered my question, Minhyun-ah.”

Minhyun paused to consider. “I won’t say I wouldn’t want to do it but it’s not really what I came here for, you know?”

“I know. You came here for cable TV.” Minhyun flicked his finger on Jonghyun’s forehead. “Ow.” 

“Did you just invite me here for sex?”

“Not exactly, but…” Jonghyun mused. “You asked me if it crossed my mind that you would miss me. It only occurred to me then that _I_ would miss _you_. I thought us having sex was a logical solution.”

“Kim Jonghyun-ssi,” Minhyun groaned, burying his face on the pillow.

Jonghyun traced the outline of Minhyun’s flushed ear. “I can always take no for an answer, you know. We could just cuddle.” Then he leaned to whisper into it. “So… what’s it going to be, Hwang Minhyun-ssi?”

Minhyun slowly turned to face Jonghyun again, their lips meeting in a self-conscious kiss, both being hyper-aware of each other’s movements. Soon, it wasn’t just their lips moving in sync—hands began travelling and bodies started adjusting to see how they fit with one another. When his hand had reached underneath Jonghyun’s robe and felt his bare torso, Minhyun realized that they would probably fit each other well enough.

“President Kim,” Minhyun gasped in Jonghyun’s mouth as he felt the latter’s fingers trail down south of his stomach, “‘No’ isn’t the answer I’d want to give you tonight.”

**— » — « —**

Minhyun woke up the next day thinking he may have only dreamed about kissing Kim Jonghyun. The moment he opened his eyes, the first thing he thought of was Jonghyun and how his lips were as soft as they looked. Minhyun could get used to them—it’s probably the first time he’s going to describe someone’s lips to be _comfortable_, like the bedcovers he was currently buried in. Minhyun stretched and rolled on his back, closing his eyes again. He sighed, noting how it was the first time he woke up feeling rested and satisfied with life since the finals week started…probably.

But it wasn’t a dream, he realized moments later when he crawled out from under the comforter and a blast of the AC hit his wholly naked body. He shuffled towards the bathroom and frowned at himself in the mirror as he gathered his thoughts. Minhyun then found the bruise just above his collarbone; the lone mark being evidence that Jonghyun’s lips had been on his body at least once last night.

Minhyun wanted to mock himself for going red by just the memory of Jonghyun marking him—a little laugh came out of him before he shook his head out of embarrassment. His mind had already gone on replaying the previous night’s intimacies—it didn’t help that the trash bin next to the toilet held further evidence of their activities, too. He had to pry his thoughts away from all of it by splashing water on his face. _Calm down_, he told himself, _it’s just sex_.

Stepping out from the bathroom after a quick shower, Minhyun finally took note of the room’s state. Gone were Jonghyun’s packed suitcases and Minhyun’s discarded clothes were folded neatly on the sofa next to his overnight bag. He scanned for any traces of Jonghyun in the room and found a note next to his phone on the nightstand.

Jonghyun had written down some reminders for check-out and left the room keycard and a prepaid card in case there’d be additional charges. Minhyun could still get breakfast at the cafe downstairs, too, and he laughed and cooed at Jonghyun’s ugly drawing of his highly-recommended pancakes.

His phone alerted him of a message; it was Jonghyun texting via WeChat. There were a few other pending notifications on his phone but he ignored them for the moment.

_Good morning, Minhyunnie. Are you up?_

With slightly trembling fingers, Minhyun typed his response. _Good morning, Jonghyunnie. I’m up._

_I’m in Shanghai now, we just got to our hotel rooms. Busy later but I’ve got a bit of time to spare now. Can I call?_

_Of course._

A couple of minutes passed and while there was no call, Minhyun remembered he hadn’t gotten dressed yet. He had just fastened the bathrobe to his body when the hotel room’s phone rang. He picked it up. “Hello?” he answered cautiously.

“_Hi, Minhyunnie. It’s me._”

“Jonghyun-ah,” Minhyun answered, sitting down on the bed. “Hi.”

“_How’ve you been? Have you eaten?_”

“I’ll eat the ugly pancakes later… Jonghyun-ah, I think I miss you.”

“_Ugly pancakes_,” Jonghyun chuckled, catching on the reference to his note. “_I think I miss you, too. I now kind of wish we could have celebrated your win together this morning. The ugly pancakes are really good and they should go well with your favourite grapefruit… Minhyun-ah?_”

Minhyun was frowning at the room carpet as if it spoke of something confusing just then. “Celebrate my what?” he replied.

“_Your win_,” Jonghyun said. “_Dunno if you’re getting any reward for it or if you already got what you needed after—_”

“Hold on, Jonghyun-ah, what reward?”

“_For sleeping with me…?_”

“I— what do you—” Minhyun stammered, his mouth going dry.

“_The dare, Minhyun-ah. I know about it and… I helped you win it last night._”

**— » to be continued « —**


	15. No More Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game is up but apparently, only Jonghyun knows when exactly…? Cue _the_ shocked Hwang Minhyun and a distressed Choi Minki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henlo again!
> 
> Because it's Aron's birthday soon, I am very happy to _finally_ present to you in this chapter... our Ren!
> 
> How's one related to the other? idk... muehehe...

**— » — « —**

Jonghyun’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down anxiously as he waited for Minhyun to say something. He had covered the mouthpiece so he could release the breath he’d been holding ever since he admitted to knowing about the dare—where _the_ Hwang Minhyun would have to get Kim Jonghyun in bed as proof that he can pretty much seduce anyone.

Jonghyun cleared his throat. “I figured I could help you win it before I go, so I did,” he added.

It sounded as if Minhyun had woken out of a daze from the other end of the line. “_How long have you known?_” he asked.

“That Sunday when you came up with _Playing Dumb_,” Jonghyun started. “After we went to the PC shop, you and I had dinner afterwards… then I found out when I got home.”

Jonghyun wasn’t sure if it was the phone line or Minhyun’s voice that cracked. “_T-that long…_”

“Yeah…” He didn’t know what else to say. A month was quite long.

“_And… you were alright with that…?_”

“I did a lot of thinking that night,” he admitted. “Figured I could just view it as a game you were playing. And we just started _Playing Dumb_ that day… and you did say I could be game master, too.” Voicing out his carefully mulled over conclusions from a month ago was harder than he thought. But Minhyun deserved an explanation. “So I played dumb with that in mind. In its own way, it had been a good game, donʼt you think?” 

Choi Minki opened the door and headed straight to the twin bed where Jonghyun lay on his stomach with the hotel phone handset plastered against his ear. Minki plopped on the other side of Jonghyun and used the small of his back as a makeshift pillow. Undoubtedly, Jonghyun’s childhood best friend of fifteen solid years knew that he had walked in on a rather private conversation and proceeded to listen in anyway.

“I wouldn’t have started it myself but I didn’t really mind playing along… since it was with you, you know?”

He wondered if he just didn’t hear Minhyun respond because of Minki’s arrival but his best friend had been quiet as a cat. Just then he heard Minhyun draw a deep breath. He still just wasn’t speaking.

“Minhyun-ah? I’m not mad at you if that’s what you’re worried about,” Jonghyun assured. At the same time, he wondered if he should’ve just waited to get back to Seoul before telling him. He’d kept it a secret for a month, what’s a couple more weeks? But Jonghyun knew that sleeping with Minhyun was the biggest game-changer. It was no longer fair if he were to remain quiet after that.

“We can talk in person once I get back, if you need more answers and if you still want to see me… I’m sorry if this took you by surprise. I didn’t mean—I really just want to know if our friendship—well, I’ve always wondered if what we had was real…” he went on, resisting the urge to chew on his fingernail. “Are you still there… Min?”

Minhyun’s voice came through the earpiece somewhat hastily with his reply. “_It was real, Jonghyun-ah…_”

“And… you’re not mad at me, are you?”

Minki rolled his eyes and sat up against the headboard so he could face Jonghyun and glare at him. Jonghyun mouthed an irritated ‘what?’ to which Minki gave another fantastic eye roll.

“_N-no, how can I be mad at you? I—_”

“Then, we’re good, right? We’re still friends?”

“_Jonghyun…_” Minhyun was saying and Jonghyun strained to hear. “_I really like you. A lot._” Jonghyun stiffened and involuntarily held his breath again. “_So… of course,_” Minhyun then went on after a moment, “_we’re… friends._”

Jonghyun breathed out with relief. “Thank you.”

Minki’s slap on Jonghyun’s butt transitioned the latter’s relieved sigh into a surprised gasp. Jonghyun mouthed a big, soundless ‘OW!’ at his best friend. Minki huffed and occupied the armchair in one corner, pulling out his mobile phone to busy himself while waiting.

“_Jonghyun-ah, last night…_”

Jonghyun sat up in attention, bouncing on the bed as he carefully pulled his knees to his chest. He waited for Minhyun to continue but the line remained quiet. In a low voice, he ventured a guess. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?” he asked.

“_No, I’m fine. Last night was great…_”

Jonghyun smiled genuinely, without pride or vanity. “It was great for me too…” he trailed off, wondering what else Minhyun seemed to want to say about the previous night.

“_And…_”

“And…?”

“_I’m just a bit sore, I’ll have you know,_” Minhyun said in his sweet, pleasant voice before breaking out into laughter. Jonghyun chuckled, setting aside his worries for a while. He always loved hearing Minhyun laugh; there had been a good deal of mirth expressed between them from the first time they met up until the previous evening they had spent together. When Jonghyun wondered whether he had complicated things unnecessarily for the both of them, he feared he'd no longer hear Minhyun laugh genuinely like this.

“You’re not the only one so stop laughing,” he said, which only served to make Minhyun laugh some more. Jonghyun went on listening to his melodic chuckles, the sound still as attractive to him as it was last night. As it had been the first time.

“I’ll see you when I get back, right?” Jonghyun then asked, straightening himself out to face the ceiling and relax his back on the mattress. From his peripheral, he could tell Minki was getting impatient for him to end the call.

“_Of course._”

“Minhyun-ah…”

“_Hm?_”

“No matter what, I don’t regret having met you,” Jonghyun said gently. “And, games aside, I really do like you.”

“_I really do like you, too,_ ” Minhyun returned softly. “_So much that… I’ll be here when you get back. No more games._”

“All right then… No more games.”

**— » — « —**

When the phone call ended, Minhyun could barely return the handset to its cradle, still reeling from what Jonghyun had told him. At the very least, he had managed to pull himself together midway and held up until the end of their conversation; he was even surprised that he could still make a joke and laugh. Then he’d been slowly reduced to soft monosyllabic replies when Jonghyun had to really end the call, stating that he’ll be busy but that he’s just a WeChat message away if Minhyun needed him. And when the line went dead, Minhyun wondered if he just felt his heart break.

Jonghyun had known nearly the whole time. The game had been up not five days since he met the gamers club president to get close to him for a dare. Perhaps, now that he’d caught somewhat of a gamer’s perspective (thanks to his frequent visits at JT Gamers), Minhyun himself could tell that _ the _ Hwang Minhyun’s casual approach was no match for a tactician such as Kim Jonghyun. And Minhyun’s loss turned out to be a long foregone conclusion. But Jonghyun still played. Why?

His mind begged him for a reprieve from introspection. Thankfully, Minhyun’s phone was still trying to notify him silently of his other messages. He opened them; most of the texts were from Dongho, who had also been trying to call him in the past hour. He tapped to call him back.

“_Hello? You’re not calling from the grave now, are you?_” Dongho answered by way of greeting.

“Dongho-yah, I think I fucked up big time,” Minhyun blurted out. The last remaining strength left in his body he used up to finally collapse on the floor, hoping it would swallow him up and erase his whole existence. “Big time fuck up.”

“_Oh, you think? Alright, let’s discuss this in a short while… You’re at Incheon, right? I’m out and about in the mini. Want me to pick you up? Do you need food?_”

“No, I can get breakfast here,” Minhyun replied, his stomach growling in agreement. “And I’ll just take the shuttle back to campus.”

His best friend laughed. “_Right, I’ll pick you up in an hour. You go eat something in the meantime._”

**— » — « —**

Minki sighed, watching Jonghyun replace the phone on the nightstand. “I heard from Seungkwang-hyung that you guys will have a meeting over lunch,” he said. “Which means you have ample time to explain yourself.”

Jonghyun propped himself up on his elbows. “Explain what?”

“That whole phone call with Minhyunnie?” And to make a point, Minki started mimicking Jonghyun. “_Minhyun-ah, I really like you… I don’t regret having met you… I’m not mad at you… are you mad at me?_ Blah, blah, blah…”

“Alright already,” Jonghyun sighed, lying back down on the bed. “What do you want to know?”

“You slept with him,” Minki fired off, his voice trembling slightly. He stood up to pace back and forth before Jonghyun like a prosecutor interrogating a defendant in court. “More than once.”

Jonghyun looked up in surprise, wondering how on earth Minki would have guessed that…until he realized he just gave himself away either way. He huffed. “Yeah, I did. Twice. So?”

“_So?_ ” Minki echoed angrily. “One, I already told you that you should stay away from him and why. Two, you knew he was going to sleep with you to win a stupid dare and you did it with him _twice_?”

“Minki…look,” Jonghyun said patiently. “I only wanted to help him win the game so it’ll be long over by the time I return to Seoul. I just didn’t know the terms and conditions so I figured…”

“Figured…?”

“Well, I didn’t know…” Jonghyun hesitated, embarrassment creeping up his face, “if the dare had a specified top or bottom so I figured we might as well just cover both?”

Minki stopped pacing, his anger collapsing into a dull stare. “Wow,” he breathed through his nose. “You’re so fucking smart, Kim Jonghyun-ssi… And…? If the dare had required oral, what about that then, huh?” he then challenged, crossing his arms to his chest.

Jonghyun shrugged and turned his flaming face away, mumbling something that sounded so much like “—got that covered both ways too.”

Perhaps it was the first time in Choi Minki’s blessed little life that Kim Jonghyun’s admirable thoroughness made him want to claw his own eyes out of their sockets.

“Jonghyun-ah,” Minki whined, sitting beside Jonghyun on the bed again. “Did you really like Minhyunnie that much?”

“Like I told Minhyun,” Jonghyun nearly gritted through his teeth. “I really _do_ like him.”

“But you lied to him,” Minki said. “You didn’t really help him win anything, did you? You just ended the game that you dragged out when it had been game over the moment you knew. You think he won’t realize that?”

Jonghyun pulled himself back up into a sitting position, leaning his head against Minki’s shoulder. The latter sighed and wrapped his arms around his best friend, patting his head comfortingly.

“I’ll find out in two weeks, I guess,” Jonghyun muttered. “For now… I have to stop thinking about him. I still have a tournament to win, after all.”

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sincerest apologies for:
> 
> (1) the shock and the cliffhanger from the last chapter 😅 —and thank you for reading this one!  
(2) introducing Minki rather late in the fic only to give him a massive headache 🙈


	16. Sunday-Not-a-Date: Reprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cue Kwak Aaron and shit hit the fan in the background. Dongho is the best best friend Minhyun could ever have but they never really say it often enough.

**— » — « —**

Fifteen minutes into the movie, Dongho was resting his head snugly on Minki’s shoulders when someone scooted across his view and towards the empty seat beside his boyfriend.

“Hyung, you're seated next to me,” Dongho complained, grabbing the hem of said hyung’s jacket to pull him back towards the correct seat and handing his popcorn over. Despite being a perpetual thorn in the side of the couple’s private time—sometimes even their actual relationship—Kwak Aaron was Dongho’s favourite sunbae (and Minhyun’s, too, more so) even though he was completely from a different department.

“Bummer,” Aaron muttered in mock disappointment, hand automatically popping some flakes into his mouth. “I want to sit next to Minki,” he said, leaning over Dongho to catch Minki’s attention. “Minki-yah…”

Minki glanced at Aaron and smiled coolly, ignoring the wink that their older friend threw his way. “You’re late, Hyung,” was all he said before turning his attention back to the movie, linking his arm with Dongho’s.

That’s how they usually were. When last year Dongho introduced Minki to his friends as his boyfriend, Aaron had taken an immediate interest in the Fashion major, though it hadn’t been entirely romantic at first. Minki was also working as a model, signed with the agency that Aaron’s family company had long been doing business with. His friendship with their MBA-hyung helped Minki widen his exposure and contact network considerably, allowing him to find the usual odd jobs here and there until, just recently, he managed to land himself a long-term project.

So long as Minki wasn’t uncomfortable with Aaron’s blatant attempts at flirting (which they frankly couldn’t tell whether he was serious or joking), Dongho didn’t really mind. The four of them—Dongho, Minki, Minhyun, and their Aaron-hyung—still hung out together, though there had been instances in the past when Aaron was a proud third-wheel to Dongho and Minki’s would-have-been couple date. This day wasn’t supposed to be one of those instances, however. Minhyun was supposed to be their fourth.

Aaron looked around him. “Where’s Minhyunnie?”

“Ditched us,” Dongho answered, distracted by the scene he was watching.

“I thought he was running late?” Minki asked.

“No, he texted while I was lining up for tickets. He’s meeting up with Jonghyunnie,” Dongho said. He then suddenly felt like he should stop himself but Aaron and Minki were already leaning in from either side of him to listen. “I just bought three and forgot to mention it since I had to leave this tardy hyung’s ticket outside for claiming.”

“Jonghyunnie…wait, do you mean, _my Jonghyunnie_?”

“_Your Jonghyunnie_? I know a Jonghyunnie, too, but who’s _your Jonghyunnie_?” Aaron asked Minki, sounding a lot more jealous than Dongho would ever be.

A pointed cough from behind interrupted their conversation and the trio remembered where they were. Settling back in their seats, they turned their attention to the movie they were supposed to be watching. 

It was afterwards over lunch that the topic of Minhyun abandoning them to be with Jonghyun came up once more.

“Oh, right, you did mention your best friend before,” Aaron remarked. “Kim Jonghyun, I think?”

“The one and only—although his name is unremarkably common.”

Aaron laughed, “I have a neighbour named Jonghyun, too.” The three of them laughed at the coincidence until Aaron paused—he just had an epiphany. He turned to Dongho. “Hold on, so this Jonghyunnie’s the wager guy?”

“What wager guy?” Dongho and Minki chorused, but in different tones of concern.

“Well, It was just the other day that I went to see the Theatre folks and Seongwu told me that Minhyun broke up with that girl?—boy?—who was that last one he was dating again?” Aaron asked Dongho but was only met with a shrug.

“Anyway, so Seongwu said that the cast and production crew got this ongoing wager based on a dare to see whether Minhyun could sleep with a guy named Kim Jonghyun or not.”

“WHAT!” Minki exclaimed, earning looks from people from the other tables around them.

Dongho gulped. His gut feeling earlier was correct—he shouldn’t have mentioned anything about Minhyun going to see Jonghyun. But how was he to know that Aaron would end up knowing about the dare? And what the fuck?! If Dongho comes out alive from this, he and Seongwu would have to talk. A wager should have been out of the question.

“The hell’s about that wager?” Dongho hissed to himself. Minki was too busy demanding Aaron for answers to notice him, even though Aaron couldn’t elaborate any further.

“Well, that’s what I just heard,” Aaron was saying. “I think Minhyun tried to join Jonghyun’s gamers club and got rejected but I guess now they’re friends and meeting up—did Minhyunnie say anything whether it was a date or not?” 

Dongho blinked at the sudden question thrown at him. “Uh, no, ‘Jonghyun wants to meet up’, that’s the last thing he said,” he answered meekly, seeing the cold rage in his boyfriend’s eyes. If people thought Taeyong was a bit overprotective of Jonghyun…well, they certainly don’t know Minki.

“I’m going to kill Minhyun,” Minki decided coolly. “If he so much touches a single strand of Jonghyun’s hair, I’m going to strangle him with it.”

**— » — « —**

“But here you are, still alive, currently un-strangled,” Dongho said, pulling out from the drive-thru where he and Minhyun got drinks for the return drive to Seoul. “Minki’s schedule became packed with gigs aside from finals and deadlines before he could do anything else. I even thought he hadn’t said anything to Jonghyun at all, what with Jonghyun asking me about your favourite drink that first time he surprised you with lunch…” and he sighed.

Minhyun had already finished telling Dongho what happened between him and Jonghyun in less than a day—and Dongho’s level-headed responses helped keep Minhyun’s thoughts coherent despite all the why’s and how’s that he wanted to find the answers to. One of which was how Jonghyun managed to find out about the dare.

And now Dongho was just finishing the anecdote about how and when exactly did Minki find out and tell Jonghyun, and how even Dongho himself had known for a while that Jonghyun knew all along.

“I only found out a week or two after that same day Minki told him…and I didn’t know how to tell you. I wasn’t even sure if he really knew or that Minki really told him—kinda hard to tell with the way he’d been acting towards you.”

Slumped in the passenger seat and cradling his large-sized grapefruit tea, Minhyun understood what Dongho meant. Not once in the past month when he and Jonghyun were playing their little game did he ever notice _anything_—at least anything to do with him or their ‘friendship’. He thought he'd kept his eyes peeled for Jonghyun whenever possible and still…it turned out he was being blindsided all this time.

“Jonghyun was playing the game,” Minhyun remarked dully, lacking his usual energy and optimism, even if part of him admired how Jonghyun had been able to act like nothing’s going on. “Guess he’s really that good at games. Or acting. He should’ve been an actor…” He groaned and rested his forehead against the car window, resisting the urge to bang his head against it. He was starting to sound bitter even to himself. He didn’t like it.

“Does Minki still hate me?” He asked after a minute.

“Maybe,” was Dongho’s poorly-disguised ‘yes’. “All I know is that he definitely hates me,” he added.

Minhyun looked at his best friend, eyes wide with disbelief. “He hates you? Why?”

Dongho chuckled bitterly. “Well, Aaron-hyung found out my involvement later on. You know. How I was the one who brought up Jonghyun and got you chasing after him. Though he probably heard the less sympathetic version of it.”

“And he told Minki?” Minhyun gasped.

“And Minki broke up with me yesterday before flying off to meet with Jonghyun in Shanghai,” Dongho continued with a weak scoff, “with Aaron-hyung, of all people.”

“He broke up with—he’s now with—,” Minhyun stammered. He looked at Dongho and his heart wrenched in sympathy for his best friend. “Sorry, Dongho-yah, I didn’t mean for you to get involved this way.”

Dongho shook his head, taking a sip of his americano while they were waiting at a red light. “It’s not on you, Minhyun-ah. I’m at fault for not coming clean with Minki when I had the chance.”

“But why didn’t you?”

“Well,” Dongho sighed loudly, “frankly, I was worried that he’d make me talk to you and tell you to stop.”

The light changed and Dongho drove on as he talked on. “I didn’t want to tell Minki that you were really just after Jonghyun because of the dare. I wanted to wait and see if I could defend your intentions because I believed—or, at least, hoped—that, eventually, you and Jonghyun might win each other over and date for real.”

Minhyun reddened, catching the amused glance Dongho threw his way before returning his eyes on the road. “That first time you met him, I could tell you liked him from the get-go…for real.” He grinned, his eyes disappearing into merry slits. “I’m not your best friend for nothing, Min.”

“Dongho-yah,” Minhyun bemoaned, not finding the strength to deny anything that the other had just said. “I think I’ve just lost him.” 

To think that it was just yesterday that Minhyun was on his way to submitting a boyfriend application form and now—he knew he shouldn’t have gone with Jonghyun, he knew they were going too fast… They zoomed from being friends and then no longer friends—and then they were making out; and then they were out for a date; and then they were staying overnight in—Minhyun _knew_… 

Except Minhyun didn’t know how Jonghyun could be so irresistible, plainly offering himself like that… Coupled with the sudden notion of not being able to see him for two weeks… Minhyun realized Jonghyun might have conned him into some sort of panic fucking to end what he had been viewing all this time as a game. And for what?

“He’s still talking to you, isn’t he?” 

Exactly, Jonghyun was still talking to him. Why? “He said we’re still friends…”

Dongho cackled for a short second before containing himself. “I shouldn’t laugh but this is the first time I’ve heard of _you_ getting friend-zoned after sex. What fun.”

“Hey, Jonghyun said it was great—you know what, just fucking drive,” Minhyun huffed, sipping his tea.

“I _am_ driving… and? What about you? What are _you_ going to do?” Dongho challenged.

“The fuck can I do? I don’t know!” Minhyun whined.

“Hey, the no-brainer answer is to just win him back, you bighead dumbass,” Dongho retorted. “You’re lucky Jonghyunnie’s still talking to you—heck, didn’t he say he’ll see you once he gets home? But what about me? I’ve got to win Minki back, who, by the way, not only hates my guts fifty-fifty but is also being pursued non-stop by Aaron-hyung. They’re in Shanghai, for fuck’s sake! The fuck I’m doing? I’m driving your sorry ass home.”

“I said I was gonna take the shuttle back,” Minhyun said in a meek, apologetic, yet still somewhat sulky voice.

Dongho sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome and I love you, too.”

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of 2hyun in this chapter but there's BaekRen and sorta ARen and BaekMin friendship! 
> 
> I hope I can make up for the lack of dumb 2hyun with this [other dumb 2hyun](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24392005), lol


	17. Research and Development

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyun takes critical damage and is kept alive by his best friend and personal chef, Dongho.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my dearest JR,
> 
> HAPPY 26th! 🎂🎉
> 
> Love you lots 😘
> 
> ~M
> 
> this update would probably be my birthday fic post but the day is not yet over and who knows when inspiration will strike, eh?

**— » — « —**

Before he left, Jonghyun had told Minhyun why he was going to Shanghai.

A ‘part-time job’ wasn’t an entirely accurate description especially when Jonghyun had been a professional gamer—an esports athlete—for as long as he’d been attending university. Minhyun finally understood what Seonho meant about Jonghyun being a ‘pro’. And not just any pro—Jonghyun’s team won the previous year’s championship and was currently competing to become the first back-to-back champions in the history of DOTA 2.

Minhyun had almost zero knowledge of the game, except for when he’d seen Jonghyun play a few times with the JT club members, partly teaching them game strategies. Minhyun would always be awed by the ‘other’ Jonghyun that comes out when he’s focused and serious on a game.

Everyone knew that he was reliable and kind but, like Minhyun, they didn’t know Jonghyun had a playful and dangerous side to him, too—that his charisma can lure people towards chaos, if not destruction. The gamer circle appears to have a vague idea of this, as evidenced by the way Jonghyun would destroy everyone in his path with his DOTA 2 gameplay whenever he’s in good form.

But Minhyun didn’t need to be a gamer to confirm the existence of this dangerous Kim Jonghyun. That night with him, and the following morning over the phone, was proof enough. Minhyun had been so mentally gutted that after Dongho dropped him off in his dorm, he’d gone radio silent and holed up in his room. He turned off his phone and, with the exception of Dongho, his partner in commiseration, Minhyun didn’t speak with anyone for the rest of the day. And the next, and it went on for a few more days until it had been nearly a week since Jonghyun left.

“Still in bed, I see,” Dongho noted when he arrived in Minhyun’s studio-type dorm unit, bearing lunch and dinner supplies. When Minhyun had refused to go out in the sun, Dongho was given carte blanche over his best friend’s nourishment. He was rather content to finally give the kitchen some purpose other than for washing dishes and boiling water. Of course, getting free meals out of the whole thing was the best part.

Minhyun rolled and fell out of bed. “Hi,” he groaned, face scrunching as Dongho pulled the blinds up and switched some of the kitchen lights on. “I stayed up again last night.”

“The way you’re spending your summer break is admirable,” Dongho commented as he prepared sandwiches for a late breakfast.

“I was doing research,” Minhyun mumbled, eyes still closed as he pulled himself up into a sitting position on the floor next to his bed.

“On Jonghyunnie?”

Minhyun winced. “I need to stop thinking about him.”

“Not like you’ve ever managed to not think about him,” Dongho responded absently.

“Rude of you to assume.”

“You wouldn’t be holed up in here if you could actually stop thinking about him.”

“Shut up.”

Dongho said no more, smothering a chuckle as he fixed himself and Minhyun a nice and heavy sandwich each. The sizzles and smells from the pan caught Minhyun’s attention; his stomach rumbled in response. Grudgingly, he stood up and hauled himself over to the bathroom to wash his face.

He hated how Dongho got it right. Minhyun couldn’t get out of his room because he was, for a lack of a better term, _obsessing_ over Jonghyun.

Ever since he returned from Incheon, Minhyun had been secretly watching the live streams of all of Jonghyun’s matches, as well as old videos of the previous year’s tournament. He wanted to get to know the actual gamer Jonghyun—the professional, the strategist, the champion—wondering if there was anything remotely different Minhyun needed to do in order to win him back. But all Minhyun saw was the same Jonghyun who simply didn’t say anything about his professional gamer career until the last minute.

On the dining table sat Minhyun’s laptop—the old one because the one that Jonghyun gave him was buried deep in the closet as a result of Minhyun’s earlier attempts to get Jonghyun out of his mind. Putting down their plates, Dongho took a seat and woke the laptop up to see that a video had been paused.

It was yet another tournament clip from last year showing Jonghyun in his trademark TI8 tousled silver-grey hair. Dongho wondered if Jonghyun dyed his hair again for this year; he would only find out once they start broadcasting the main event matches.

“He looks so good in that hair,” Minhyun remarked, returning from the bathroom and sitting down on the table. Jonghyun still wore his glasses in every game so, despite the different hairstyle and colour, Minhyun still saw more of the Jonghyun he’d met and spent time with in the past month.

“If you keep on watching videos of him then you shouldn’t be complaining that you can’t get him out of your mind,” Dongho said, picking up his sandwich and taking a bite.

“I’m doing research, obviously,” Minhyun replied. “I just don’t want to think about him all the time.”

“You’re an idiot.” Even if Dongho said it with a mouth full of bread, Minhyun heard it plainly. Seeing the indignant look on his best friend’s face, Dongho took his sweet time chewing his food and swallowing before he decided to elaborate on his answer. “Look, if you want to get to know him more and stop obsessing over him at the same time, just answer his texts instead of wasting hours on game streams and documentaries, idiot.”

“He wouldn’t be texting me,” Minhyun scoffed, snapping his laptop shut and quietly starting on his food.

Dongho sighed. “Do you know what day it is today?” he asked.

“Wednesday.”

“Their first match in the main event.”

“I know. I’ve been keeping tabs on their schedule,” Minhyun admitted, throwing Dongho a reluctant glance.

“And Taeyong mentioned how Jonghyun’s been a bit gloomy during video calls.”

“Huh.”

“And Minki tells me Jonghyun has been wanting to ask me about you but he’s worried I’m angry with him, too.”

“What?” Minhyun frowned. He wondered how long had Dongho been on speaking terms with Minki again (or have they gotten back together already?) but the more important question for Minhyun to ask was, “Why would _ you _ be mad at him?”

“Beats me. Minki says it’s because he thinks you’re mad at him and that I could be sympathizing with you.”

“Why does he think I’m mad at—” Minhyun cut himself off and hurried over to his cabinet. He dug up his phone from one drawer, powering it back on. Could it be—?

A flood of messages came in thru WeChat a minute or two later. Jonghyun had sent him messages every day—always either starting with a ‘good morning’ or ending with a ‘good night’, mostly being about his team’s group stage results and inquiries or well-wishes on Minhyun’s health. He had messages up until last night, ever friendly, thoughtfully polite.

Today, Jonghyun didn’t text him as usual.

“Dongho-nim, help me!” Minhyun called out in panic, kneeling over the still open drawer. “He’d been texting and I haven’t replied—fuck, what do I say to him now?”

**— » — « —**

Winning the tournament was easier said than done, especially now that Jonghyun was in a bit of a slump. He tried to ignore the nagging feeling that it was due to Minhyun not replying to any of his messages—to no such avail, of course. 

Contrary to what he had planned, Jonghyun wasn’t able to take his mind off of Minhyun and gave in to temptation—he sent him a message the next day. He regretted it then but managed to justify it as just sending updates to a friend. After all, he’s been updating all his other friends, too. It was just later on that his insecurities worsened the more he sent messages and the longer he waited for Minhyun’s apparently non-existent replies to them.

Jonghyun tried to cheer up with whatever he could use to distract himself: winning the group stage matches; meetings and quick outings with the team; watching the other matches; and visiting Minki and Aaron-hyung (it turned out Jonghyun and Taeyong were neighbours with him after all) on the set of Minki’s endorsement deal photoshoot.

Yet every time he returned alone in his room at night and sometimes when he woke up in the morning, Jonghyun would get reminded that there was still no reply from Minhyun. He’d been able to chat with everyone else and he’d spent at least twenty good minutes with Taeyong on video calls almost every day—Jonghyun ought to have been happy with that already. But seeing his messages to Minhyun remaining unreceived and unread ate up his morale little by little. He worried that perhaps Minhyun realized what Jonghyun really did and decided to stay away.

Thus, when he sent his good night message the night before, Jonghyun decided it would be the last time—at least until he’s back in Seoul and he could ask to speak with Minhyun in person. Even if it meant saying goodbye for real this time.

Midmorning found him all ready for their match. Jonghyun was on standby in their team room, chatting with Minki on his phone when another message came in. He gasped when he saw who it was from.

_Good morning, Jonghyun-ah. I saw all your group stages but I didn’t really understand a lot of it. But the casters often said you were doing really impressive stuff. And that you were savage. I think you’re awesome. GG, did I say that right? lol_

_I made a mistake staying offline in the last five days, I’m sorry. But today is a big day for you, I’ll regret it all the more if I didn’t come on here to wish you good luck and good game. Fighting, Jonghyun-ah! ♡ _

He was unsure whether his mouth was twitching in panic or wanting to smile. It was after his third time reading the messages that he felt an intense relief wash over him—so much that he ended up pressing the video call button.

“AH, NO!”

**— » — « —**

“Why did I put a heart on it?!” Minhyun wailed as soon as Dongho beat him to pressing send. “You shouldn’t have told me to put a heart!” he complained, looking betrayed as his best friend cackled at his expense.

“Ah, Minhyunnie, you’re so hilarious,” Dongho wheezed, tears forming in his eyes.

“AH, DONGHO, WHAT DO I DO!!” Minhyun then yelled—the video call tone was blaring. It was Jonghyun. Jonghyun was calling!

Dongho felt his sides splitting when he peeked at the screen. Just like what he did with the chat message, Dongho tapped the answer button for Minhyun. He hauled himself back to his seat at the table and tried to resume eating his sandwich. It was proving to be hard—he couldn’t stop laughing.

Minhyun stared at his phone screen. Silver-haired Jonghyun was there but he wasn’t saying anything either. If he hadn’t been so panicked, Minhyun might have observed how they were looking at each other in the same way—like two deers caught in the headlights. For a whole minute, they gaped at each other until Jonghyun found his voice and spoke.

“_Hi_,” Jonghyun said, smiling.

“Hi,” Minhyun breathed.

“_I, uh…thanks, I mean, for the…you know_.”

Minhyun assumed Jonghyun meant his long overdue replies and nodded. He hoped that the video feed wasn’t rendering his reddened ears properly.

“_I’ll do my best_.”

“Good luck, Jonghyun-ah.” Minhyun found his steadier voice.

“_Thanks… I, uh, should probably go now. But, Minhyun-ah, won’t you—?_”

“Hm?”

“_I mean, may I call again…after?_”

He smiled and nodded again. “Okay.”

An hour later, the two friends watched the main event opening ceremony live stream together. When Jonghyun’s team, Night Goblin, was announced to return the Aegis of Champions to the arena, Dongho was happy to notice the little smile that never left Minhyun’s face.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] I'm not a DOTA 2 player so just a heads up that there will be inaccuracies since research can only do so much, I think. I based nearly everything off on The International, including the schedule for TI9 😂 and lol yes, OG, anyone?  
[2] they say GG a lot in the games uwu 😊 lemme dream that they mean "gimmick game" instead of "good game" hahahahahaha  
[3] switched the app they're using for chat and video calls from Skype to WeChat since apparently they use WeChat in KR anyway


	18. Check-In at Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> President Kim’s airport welcome party brought to us by Vice President Lee of JT Gamers and President Hwang of Optimus Tada.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep forgetting to put in a note about how this fic is set in 2019 so, yeah, Gimmick Game is set in an AU in 2019. No fanfic character was nor will be harmed or put at risk in the course of this writing. At least, not physiologically. Ehem. (I mean the virus, guys.)
> 
> Also I missed Taeyongie 🥺

**— » — « —**

“Where are the tulips?” Taeyong asked when he realized Minhyun came empty-handed.

Minhyun’s ears were already red. “I left them in the car.”

“Why—oh, you want to give them later when we’re in the car? Okay,” Taeyong chuckled, handing Minhyun the signboard with POCKYJR on it. “You can hold this then… Are you okay?”

Was Minhyun okay? Not really. Jonghyun was bound to arrive any minute and still, Minhyun wasn’t sure if he was ready to see him in person again. Sure, they’ve texted regularly ever since that almost-mishap with the unread messages, and Jonghyun would always video call him before and after a match.

But being minutes away from seeing Jonghyun again in the flesh, Minhyun couldn’t help but feel… well, awkward. The last time he saw Jonghyun in the flesh was… well, literally in the flesh. Add to that the circumstances that came after, he just wasn’t sure how they ought to be towards each other. Friendly? Intimate?

“Are you nervous?” Taeyong then asked, a hint of teasing in his tone. He bit his lip to keep himself from laughing at the look of constipation on the taller boy’s face. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, reaching out to pat Minhyun on the back. “If it helps, you can welcome him back with a big, fat smooch the moment he gets here.”

Minhyun honestly wished he could.

Jonghyun had done nothing but reiterate that between themselves, Minhyun and Jonghyun were simply friends. But their other friends had reached the very inaccurate conclusion that Kim Jonghyun and Hwang Minhyun were now dating, as per eyewitness accounts from before Jonghyun left for the tournament.

Minhyun had dreaded telling Jonghyun, but the gamer had already been reproached by his best friend (Taeyong) for having found out from third-party accounts (Seonho and Guanlin). “It’s kind of funny, do you want to play along for now?” Jonghyun had said this to Minhyun when the topic came up during one of their video calls.

Thus, he was now at Incheon with Taeyong for Jonghyun’s airport welcome party—the best friend and boyfriend (but not really) combo. It was rather cute, Minhyun thought, how Taeyong had been really wary of him the first time but was now openly supportive of them. It was to the point that he had been the one to drag Minhyun out of his dorm the day before and had planned everything down—from the rental car to the bouquet and the signboard.

If only Minhyun and Jonghyun were dating for real.

“Jonghyunnie!” Taeyong called out all of a sudden, dragging Minhyun’s thoughts back to the present. He jumped up and down to catch the attention of a black-capped, black-masked, and black-hoodied figure carrying a black duffel and pulling a black suitcase behind him. 

The figure paused and looked in their direction, and Minhyun felt Taeyong nudging his arm to raise the signboard. The figure then gave them a small wave before shuffling over. “Taeyongie!” It was Jonghyun’s voice, whose owner was immediately wrapped in Taeyong’s embrace.

“Minhyun-ah.” And then it was Jonghyun’s bright eyes looking at him through those cute eyeglasses of his.

“Jonghyun-ah… hi.”

“Hi.”

Taeyong took it as his cue to pull away, taking the suitcase and duffel bag from Jonghyun. “I’ll go ahead and wait in the car… you remember where it is, right, Minhyun-ah?”

Not tearing his eyes off of Jonghyun, Minhyun answered, “Right.” He almost didn’t notice Taeyong taking the car keys and signboard off his hands.

“No welcome home kiss from the boyfriend?” Jonghyun asked after a while of staring, a little nervous, a little teasing.

“Say it one more time and I will really take you up on that,” Minhyun warned half-heartedly.

Jonghyun chuckled, removing his eyeglasses and unhooking the mask he wore. “No welcome home kiss from the—?”

Minhyun had grabbed the front of Jonghyun’s hoodie and roughly pulled him into a kiss. He had meant for it to be a quick smooch, but Jonghyun seemed to have been ready for him. Jonghyun’s free hand caught Minhyun from the back of his neck, locking their mouths together until the awkward clash adjusted into a flusher meld of lips and tongue.

It wasn’t until a moan escaped Minhyun that he finally remembered to break it off.

“I thought we were going to talk?” he asked, flushed and panting.

“Right,” Jonghyun gasped, “talk.” He nodded as he tried to catch his breath, putting his mask and eyeglasses back on to buy some time. “Of course.”

Jonghyun’s stomach announced its own plan, however, its fierce growling catching both of their attention.

“Right,” Minhyun replied, chuckling as Jonghyun blushed for an entirely different reason. “After you eat.”

**— » — « —**

Jonghyun loved the tulips, and Taeyong magnanimously gave Minhyun all the credit.

“I honestly didn’t think Minhyunnie could be this shy,” Taeyong was saying in a mixture of confusion and amusement at the latter’s behavior. Even up to the part where all three of them sat in the car (Jonghyun and Taeyong were oddly squished together in the front passenger seat), Minhyun didn't talk much. Taeyong looked incredulous when he had to remind Minhyun of the bouquet so he could give it to Jonghyun.

Jonghyun merely laughed off both Minhyun’s stiff presentation and Taeyong’s comment on it. “Thanks, Minhyunnie.”

Taeyong shook his head. “So where are you guys off too?”

Jonghyun and Minhyun turned to him. “You’re not coming with us?” they chorused. Both then frowned, taken aback by each other.

Taeyong would’ve frowned along with them if not for the laughter that bubbled up from him. “You guys are being really weird right now. You’re not expecting me to third-wheel this car ride, are you?”

“But how are you getting home?” Jonghyun asked, not missing a beat.

“Oh, uh, Jaehyun’s picking me up,” his best friend answered shyly.

“Oh.”

“I’ll be fine, Jonghyun-ah, you boyfriends go spend time together,” Taeyong said. “But make sure you and Minhyunnie are on time for the party tomorrow, okay?”

“Party?” Minhyun blurted out.

“Seriously, you guys,” Taeyong muttered. “Just talk to each other, yeah? Right, bye!”

And Taeyong climbed out of the coupe before either of them could make another sound.

“I guess that’s why he didn’t want to climb in the back seat earlier,” Jonghyun commented as he adjusted himself on his seat. He then turned to Minhyun, waiting for him to break his uncharacteristic silence. 

Minhyun merely switched the car engine on. He put a smile on his face and spoke to Jonghyun in a cool voice.

“Welcome to Optimus Tada, fair and fast, and your newest ride-hailing service. Where to, sir?”

Jonghyun laughed for half a minute—a half minute that Minhyun relished—before he could respond. He waved with one of the tulips in his bouquet.

“To the Golden Tulip, please.”

**— » — « —**

“Congratulations, by the way,” Minhyun said after he and Jonghyun ate lunch at the hotel restaurant while waiting to check-in. The tulips sat on the table, now cleared of their plates and only had a pot of tea and cups for the two of them. “How come you’re not with the team doing after tournament interviews and such?”

“Thanks.” Jonghyun grinned. “I begged off so I could have enough time to get ready for the new semester.”

“You’re still on temporary hair dye?” Minhyun reached out to touch the silver-grey strands, previously hidden by Jonghyun’s baseball cap. It was a bit stiff with the hair wax used to both style and color his hair.

“I just used up what’s left of the supply I had. Wouldn’t have any use for it back here anyway.”

“I like it,” Minhyun said, absently running his fingers through the back portion of Jonghyun’s head. “Really looks good on you. Do you think you could wear it more often? Or make it permanent?”

Jonghyun chuckled. “For you? Nope.”

“Even if you missed me?” Minhyun ventured. If earlier he was anxious about Jonghyun’s reception of him, he no longer was now. If Jonghyun’s kiss was any indicator of whether Jonghyun missed Minhyun at all… well, Minhyun thought that Jonghyun _ did _ miss him very much.

“Oh, did I miss you?” Jonghyun teased.

“Did you miss me?”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

“I really want to take you upstairs, if not right now.”

Jonghyun’s bold statement made Minhyun choke on his tea. “What the fuck, Jonghyun?” he sputtered.

Jonghyun laughed heartily, though he had the decency to rub Minhyun’s back. “I meant later, after we check-in at two,” he added playfully at first, but his tone softened at the next words he spoke. “We have some time; we can talk, can’t we?”

Minhyun took a deep breath. “Yes, we can.” Finally, the talk. 

“I’m sorry, Jonghyun-ah, about the dare,” he spoke without preamble. “It’s true that I approached you because of it but, believe me, I had no idea there was also a wager going on.”

Jonghyun smiled a little. “I’m glad to hear that. But I wasn’t kidding when I told you I didn’t mind playing along. And,” he hesitated a bit before continuing, “I guess since the cat’s out of the bag now, I might as well tell you that helping you win was a bit to my advantage, actually.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe I asked Seongwu to place a bet for me... on the side that says you’ll win and get me to bed…”

“You what?!” Minhyun’s shock came out in a fierce hiss.

“…and to maybe convince some of the others to switch bets so that the prize money was bigger if you—well, we—won.”

“You—” Minhyun couldn’t finish his sentence, utterly in disbelief. Kim Jonghyun placed a bet on a wager about them and rigged it to win? “You’re… you’re vicious.”

“I’ve been playing games long before we met, Minhyun-ah,” Jonghyun said quietly. “If it’s any consolation, this is the first time I tried playing people outside of video games. It’s… not a very pleasant feeling.”

Minhyun sighed. “And you wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t approached you in the first place… Just tell me, is this part still true?” he asked, needing confirmation that Jonghyun was still a pro-gamer and not an asshole.

“Well, yeah, but what I did in response isn’t your responsibility, you’re not about to blame yourself for that, are you?”

Minhyun bit his lower lip, nodding as he processed what he had just been told. “No… no, I suppose I can live with that,” he said carefully. “And… thank you, for not hating me for the dare.”

“I’ve said this so many times but I really like you, Minhyun-ah. I probably wouldn’t have met you if it weren’t for that.”

It was a sweet way of looking at things but Minhyun wondered if that really was the case. After all, their common friends were people dearest to them—Minki for Jonghyun and Dongho for him. Even Aaron-hyung turned out to be Jonghyun’s neighbor, and Minhyun learned from Taeyong that he and Jonghyun had even looked after Aaron’s dogs a few times. 

Minhyun could have met Jonghyun, even without the dare. They couldʼve naturally become friends but now—

“Where does this take—or leave—us, then?” Minhyun found himself asking.

“Can’t we be friends?” Jonghyun asked in turn.

“Kim Jonghyun-ssi,” Minhyun deadpanned, “you’re waiting with this friend of yours to check-in a single-bed hotel room overnight. You just joked to this same friend about fucking, which doesn't seem so much like a joke given how you made out with this same friend _ at a fucking airport _.”

Jonghyun had the decency to blush. “Friends with benefits then,” he muttered, pouting.

Minhyun sighed exasperatedly. “Jonghyun-ah, people already think we’re dating and you clearly have no problem with that. You’ve told me repeatedly that you like me… and I obviously like you… so, why? Why aren’t we making this real?”

For a while, Jonghyun said nothing, staring at the tulips in deep thought. He then leaned forward to the table, taking Minhyun’s hand in his grasp. “I’m sorry, Minhyun-ah,” Jonghyun answered. “You’re right… I like you, I really do…”

Minhyun felt the warmth in his touch but the eyes that then looked at him and the next words that those lips uttered pricked his heart.

“…but I can’t be your real boyfriend because I’m in love with someone else.”

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was brought to you by:  
\- JT Gamers  
\- Optimus Tada  
\- Golden Tulip Hotels  
\- DOTA 2
> 
> [1] No fanfic character was harmed in the writing of his chapter. Hurt... well. Ehem. 😭  
[2] Thank you to my moral support provider, J, from when I was having a minor case of nerves and cold feet over posting this chapter. 😭  
[3] Thank you for reading and I'm sorry for the cliffhanger. 😭  
[4] <strike>I'm sorry for everything?</strike> No, I stand by my decisions. 😭


	19. Afternoon Tea Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Choose from an array of flavors served hot or iced. With select add-ons such as milk, honey, and spice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> henlo again! dropping this for two reasons:
> 
> 1) the last day of JRie month (can't believe it's over!)  
2) as thanks for the overwhelming response from the previous chapter and the fact that I'm still alive right now lol

**— » — « —**

“…but I can’t be your real boyfriend because I’m in love with someone else.”

A beat passed and suddenly Minhyun had a lot of questions he wanted to ask: the what, the who, several why’s and a when. (There’s maybe even a where, like _where the hell did that come from??_)

Instead, Minhyun said, “I need to pee—excuse me for a bit,” then stood up and left Jonghyun to go to the men’s toilet.

Minhyun didn’t realize he’d been holding it in. Was he really about to cry from relieving his bladder? The heavy sigh he let out could be just as easily because of what Jonghyun told him but he found that, while washing his hands, he was still feeling a bit numb.

What just happened? Jonghyun rejected him… somewhat. 

They can’t date for real because he was what? Jonghyun was in love with someone else. 

Minhyun realized that his and Jonghyun’s definition of dating were rather different from each other—Minhyun only needed to like and be liked back; Jonghyun required love somewhere in the mix.

And to think Minhyun was _finally_ willing to commit when he thought of dating Jonghyun. The rejection stung because their liking each other wasn’t enough and Jonghyun’s love factor lay with his feelings for someone else.

Then again, Minhyun wasn’t even sure if he’s in love with Jonghyun at this point. Was he in love with Jonghyun? Was that the reason why he wanted to date him with commitment in mind?

He wasn’t ready for the kind of conversation. Offering himself up for commitment was the closest thing to being in love that Minhyun could manage but still—it was something that didn’t come easily to him.

Funny how that turned out.

Minhyun returned to the restaurant, finding Jonghyun slumped facedown on the table, his silver-grey hair partially hidden by the bouquet of tulips. He slid back into the booth seat next to Jonghyun, startling the other one into sitting up. Jonghyun looked visibly relieved upon seeing him.

“What? You thought I’d walk out on you?” Minhyun asked, a little smile playing on his lips.

“I was hoping you didn’t.”

“I didn’t… I wouldn’t.”

“That was a lengthy pee.”

Minhyun found Jonghyun’s hand and held it to make up for abruptly pulling away earlier. “I had to wash my hands thoroughly,” he said, adding cheekily, “but maybe I did take my sweet time coming back.”

Jonghyun let out a tiny chuckle of relief, squeezing Minhyun’s hand. “Thanks for coming back.”

“No need to thank me.” Minhyun shook his head. “But you need to tell me what’s going on.”

Seemingly ignoring the question, Jonghyun stared at Minhyun’s face for a minute or so, sweeping his gaze over every part as if taking in as much detail as he could. 

“You know, I was really struck by how handsome you are,” he began suddenly. “And so confused about why you wanted to join the club. And I heard things about you—your reputation wasn’t entirely flattering. I wonder if you’re aware of that.”

“A little,” Minhyun admitted.

“And it doesn’t bother you,” Jonghyun added with a smile. “Some people thought you wanted to pull a fast one on me—ahh, Seonho, he was so worried. Betraying you was the last thing on his mind but it was the first thing he did.” He chuckled and shook his head.

“I just wanted to meet you then,” Minhyun huffed. Jonghyun snorted a bit.

“But you _were_ kind of fast later on, though I kind of saw it coming,” Jonghyun continued. “From wanting to be a club member to wanting to be my boyfriend—I’m amazed you ended up letting me buy myself some time with _Playing Dumb_. When I found out that everything was just for a dare, I was very relieved because… if it had been real, I would have been very sorry to turn you down.”

“Game or not, you were going to reject me?” Minhyun asked, trying his best not to sound <strike>hurt</strike> butthurt.

“At first, I thought it would be unfair for you if I didn’t,” Jonghyun clarified. “But once I knew it was a game, I decided to play it… so I wouldn’t have to let go of you so soon.”

What? “You… wanted me around even if you thought I was just playing?” Minhyun tried to keep up, and to his relief, Jonghyun nodded.

“Which was why I dragged the game on even if technically it was over. Even if I have feelings for someone else, I… I wanted you. I wanted to keep you even if technically I couldn’t—shouldn’t—make you mine. Going against what I thought was fair and decent, the dare, the wager, all these gave me the justification I needed to keep you.”

Minhyun was glad they got to talk about this in person. While his flushed ears were embarrassing, it was also nice to see how Jonghyun’s face burned. At least, he could tell it was a sincere confession and not a flowery excuse to appease him.

Jonghyun went on. “The more I spent time with you, the more I didn’t want to let go. I got greedy. I _am_ greedy but, turns out, more so when it involves you. So I gave us a deadline. It was gonna be officially game over the moment you win the dare so I waited. But you never made a move.”

“Eventually I wasn’t going to,” Minhyun admitted. He had almost forgotten about the dare and was going to sincerely ask Jonghyun out. “But why did you? You took us right to your deadline. Did you really want to end it that much?”

“No,” Jonghyun sighed. “Thinking you were still playing, I would’ve played for as long as you did. But… I was tempted. You were so tempting. Telling me you were going to miss me… I told Minki I slept with you to help you win the game but, honestly, I slept with you because I wanted to. I’ve always wanted to.”

Even as he blushed furiously, Minhyun managed an incredulous stance. “What happened to your being in love with someone else?” he asked.

“Why not?” Jonghyun returned quietly. “Does being in love with someone who doesn’t return my feelings disqualify me from being with someone else?”

“Fair enough.” Minhyun understood that. “So you’re saying that you were going to reject me at first… ”

“I was.”

“But you learned about the dare and we had our little game, so you saw an opportunity to be with me…”

“I did.”

“Because you wanted me.”

“I still do.”

“Then why are you rejecting me now?”

“I’m not exactly rejecting you?”

Minhyun frowned. “What are you doing, exactly?”

“You said no more games,” Jonghyun said. “We’re not in a game anymore, Minhyun-ah. You asked me why we can’t be real boyfriends; I gave you the answer. I don’t want to be unfair. The only real thing we have right now is friendship and physical attraction. Am I wrong? Is there something more?”

Minhyun bit the inside of his cheek. Was Jonghyun asking him, cryptically, if he had fallen for him?

But Minhyun didn’t know the answer to that either—he didn’t know if he’s being driven towards a committed relationship with Jonghyun by love. If right then he’s being granted time to sort his feelings, then perhaps it would be better if Minhyun just took Jonghyun up on his offer. Friendship. Sex. Companionship. Intimacy. They were things that he used to look for in people—and he was about to get them the way he wanted. Why did he think commitment was necessary?

Except Jonghyun was the first person to ever make Minhyun consider commitment. That must be counted for something. Minhyun just couldn’t figure out what.

“No.” It took a lot for Minhyun to say it but he thought it was what Jonghyun would rather hear. “Youʼre right, thereʼs nothing more, Jonghyun-ah. I suppose… the only important thing is that we like each other right now.” He leaned forward to kiss Jonghyun on the cheek. “Friends it is, then. And a little bit more.”

**— » — « —**

Two o’clock came and Jonghyun and Minhyun checked-in the same room as last time. As they made their way upstairs, hands linked together, Minhyun whispered a question in Jonghyun’s ear.

“So, who is it?”

Jonghyun turned to him and raised an inquiring eyebrow.

“The one you’re in love with.”

“Oh.” Jonghyun looked away. “It’s not important.”

Right, so he wouldn’t tell who it was. “Does that person know?”

“Not important.”

“Assuming that they don’t… Won’t you tell them?”

“Not important.”

“That’s a lie and you know that.”

“Minhyun-ah, I don’t want to discuss someone else,” Jonghyun said firmly. “Aren’t you the one who’s with me right now?”

Minhyun paused mid-step and clutched at his chest. He looked at Jonghyun in pain. “Too smooth… my… heart,” he gasped.

Jonghyun’s laughter echoed through the hallway as he tugged at Minhyun’s hand. “I hate you sometimes,” he said cheerfully as they continued their way, with Minhyun laughing along with him.

They reached their room and barely got to settle in when Jonghyun pulled Minhyun into an ardent kiss. Bags were dropped, the luggage abandoned, and the bouquet of tulips rolled on the floor by their feet. They shucked their shoes off haphazardly and with their socked feet they danced awkward steps further into the room until Minhyun found the door to the bathroom.

“I’m gonna shower,” Minhyun gasped through their kiss, “wanna join me?”

“Love to,” Jonghyun grunted, feeling Minhyun’s hands stealing underneath his shirt. The pair stumbled inside the bathroom, as their lips locked together again and their tongues found each other.

Minhyun found himself backed against the counter so, hooking one leg, he pulled Jonghyunʼs hips flush against his. Moaning softly at the contact, he bucked against Jonghyun involuntarily. Noisy kissing and heavy breathing echoed across the tiled room as their grinding continued. “Jonghyun…”

Jonghyun groaned in response but his grin faded a bit when he caught Minhyun's heavy-lidded gaze. “Is this all right?” he asked before Minhyun could kiss him again, touch him further. “You’re not pushing yourself or anything—”

Minhyun rubbed against Jonghyun again, cutting him off. “I like this,” Minhyun moaned in his ear, sending shivers down Jonghyun's skin. Minhyun could live with this. In the heat of the moment, this was all he needed. “I like this,” he repeated, kissing Jonghyun softly. “I’ve always wanted to do this with you.”

“Shower, you mean?”

Minhyun chuckled. “Mm-hmm.”

“Better take off your clothes then,” Jonghyun growled.

**— » — « —**

Hours later, Jonghyun woke up in bed next to Minhyun, who clung to his side and whose face was nuzzled in the crook of his neck. Jonghyun turned to face Minhyun and nestled him closer in his embrace. Minhyun adjusted along with him in peaceful slumber even though his limbs wrapped around Jonghyun like he didn’t want to let go.

It had been the same the first time they had sex. Jonghyun had initial trouble extracting himself from Minhyun’s sleeping hold when he had to get ready to leave for Shanghai. He thought Minhyun clung to him subconsciously only because he knew Jonghyun was leaving the next day but, as it turns out, Minhyun seemed to be just like that: clingy, for a lack of a better word. Jonghyun wondered in passing if Minhyun was the same with every other person he’d slept with before.

_You’re the prize, Jonghyun-ah_, Minhyun had told him once before, _and I’ll do my best to win you._

In a way, Minhyun did win him. But they got one part wrong, Jonghyun realized then. Minhyun was the prize, and Jonghyun didn’t deserve to win someone like him.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this should answer most questions (except, yeah, not that one FAQ, hehe) but it's not everything yet so please hang in there!
> 
> I hope you enjoy and thank you all so much for reading!


	20. Billionaire on a Budget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Working together this time, Jonghyun and Minhyun hatch yet another scheme, more out of ‘necessity’ than anything. Minhyun figures out a thing or two.

**— » — « —**

The next morning found Minhyun crawling out from under Jonghyun’s hold and the comforter that covered them both. As Minhyun sat by the bed and looked back at his sleeping non-boyfriend, Jonghyun shifted to lie on his stomach, pulling and folding the comforter over and into himself. Minhyun smiled sleepily at that.

Seeing the state of their room, he began picking up articles of clothing and pieces of trash they left lying around. Minhyun’s padded steps and activity woke Jonghyun up, who poked his head, now with black hair (and bits of silver-grey that they haven’t managed to completely wash out), out of the bundle.

Jonghyun squinted at Minhyun’s general vicinity. “Minhyunnie?”

“Good morning, cutie Jonghyunnie.”

Jonghyun pouted. “You’re dressed.”

Minhyun paused and looked down at himself. “I’m in my underwear, I’m hardly dressed.”

“I’m in nothing.”

“I know. You need to get up.”

Jonghyun retreated back under his comforter-cocoon and a muffled, “five more minutes,” was his reply.

Minhyun climbed back on the bed and threw his weight over the bundle of bedcovers. “Jonghyun-ah, itʼs six-thirty; we need to eat.”

“If you give me cuddle time,” Jonghyun groaned underneath Minhyun’s weight, “I promise I will drive us back to Seoul.”

“Huh…”

“Okay, _you_ will drive us back to Seoul.”

“Deal.” Minhyun sat up and nudged the bundle. “Let me in.”

Jonghyun’s hand shot out from under the sheets and lifted one side. Soon, Minhyun disappeared under the covers in a flurry of sheets and the bouncing of the bed mattress.

“Jonghyun-ah.”

“Hm?”

“How much money did you win from the wager?”

“Uh, depending on how good Seongwu did his job, it could be something like…” and Jonghyun thought for a moment before whispering the amount in Minhyun’s ear.

“You slept with me for that amount?” Minhyun’s surprise was due to the figure being a paltry sum compared to Jonghyun’s earnings for the tournament.

“I’d sleep with you for free… but it’s nice to get some cash from people who think they can place bets on who gets to fuck whom.”

“So you were mad about the wager.”

“A little.”

“You know Dongho and Seongwu had nothing to do with it, right?”

“I know… Which was why I asked Seongwu for his help.”

“Huh…”

“What?”

“You and Seongwu, huh? Talking and all that. Plotting… conniving… ”

“Are you… jealous?”

“A little.”

“Why?”

“Seongwu thinks you’re cute. Wonders maybe he should have gone and seduced you instead.”

“Maybe he should have. Then maybe we’d have been done with the game in less than a month.”

“Really? I distinctly remember someone saying I was ‘too fast’.”

Jonghyun laughed. “No, I like us more.”

“Good.”

They grew quiet, revelling in each other’s warmth. After a while, Jonghyun spoke again.

“Don’t be with anyone else for a while yet, Minhyun-ah. If you can help it. Or at least until you find someone better who can give you something more real than what we have right now.”

“What we have is real enough.”

“Do you like it?”

“I like it very much.”

“Me, too.”

“But I’m hungry now.”

As they then fell into a petty dispute over cuddle time extension versus getting breakfast, Minhyun realized that he had never really thought of nor wanted to be with anyone else ever since he met Jonghyun.

**— » — « —**

In the latter part of their return trip, Jonghyun and Minhyun discussed the pros and cons of buying a car, now that Jonghyun was yet again a few billion won richer from the recently concluded tournament. Despite being already a billionaire since the previous year when his team first became champions, Jonghyun’s involvement was a well-preserved secret from everyone but his closest friends on campus and the JT Gamers club officers. Minhyun being privy to that information turned out to be evidence of how much he’d been upgraded within Jonghyun’s social circle.

“Like I said, you won’t need a lot of driving on campus,” Minhyun was saying as he stepped out of the car and headed for the trunk to take out their luggage. “Also, people might stop giving you worship food if they find out you can afford a car.”

Jonghyun chuckled. “Don’t call it worship food.”

“Food offering for the dead then,” Minhyun amended, and Jonghyun laughed some more.

They were still deep in discussion when they stepped into Jonghyun’s apartment, barely registering the extra pairs of shoes littering the entrance.

“Hey, guys, the honeymooners are back!” Seungcheol appeared before them, announcing the pair’s arrival before hurrying past them to put his shoes back on. “Honestly, Jonghyun-ah, we already have too much and too many cheeses. But no, someone ordered a Chardonnay, so I now have to go pick up a Camembert—or so says your fancy neighbor.”

“Wait—why are we having wine and cheese?” Jonghyun asked.

“Theme is ‘billionaire on a budget’ since you are one,” Seungcheol grinned. “Think of yourself as Bruce Wayne, you know. Probably not as rich but definitely can afford a wine and cheese party for your friends. Of course, we’ll still have the usual fare on top of that—for the kids and the starving.”

“Are you making Jonghyun pay for everything?” Minhyun asked, frowning.

“Yes, and I’m sure he’d love to. Anyway, later, you two!”

Jonghyun caught Minhyun’s indignant-on-your-behalf expression and chuckled. “It’s alright; the club rarely does parties. Come on,” he said, taking Minhyun’s hand and pulling him further into his home.

“’Sup, Hyuns!”

Several people were already present doing all sorts of preparations: decorations (Minki and Taeyong), food (Aaron and Dongho), logistics (Youngmin and Wonwoo), and each one greeted them as they passed them by on their way to Jonghyun’s room. At least that’s what Minhyun realized after Jonghyun closed the door behind him and locked it.

“Jonghyun-ah, why aren’t we out there with them?” Minhyun asked.

“We’ll come out in a bit… just,” Jonghyun answered hesitantly. “It just occurred to me that only three people out there know we’re not really dating and I’m not sure how… now that we’re clear about what we are to each other…”

“You’re not sure how we’re going to break it to everyone that we’re just fuck buddies,” Minhyun supplied. And by everyone, Minhyun knew it would be the whole JT Gamers club (who’ll be showing up in a few hours) plus extra people (give or take the whole of the Theatre lot).

“Should I include it in my speech?” Jonghyun asked with a snort.

“You have a speech?”

“I’m the club president; I always have to make a speech,” Jonghyun shrugged, sitting on his bed.

Despite himself, Minhyun giggled. “You’re going to include the news of us having-sex-but-not-dating in a speech?” He shook his head. “I mean, it’s kinda cute but, no, Jonghyun-ah, I don’t think you should do that.”

Jonghyun laughed wryly. “Shut up. I’m just out of ideas right now.”

“We could do it this way,” Minhyun spoke after a while, sitting next to Jonghyun. “We could keep on pretending we’re dating for the sake of the party and then… I dunno, we could ‘break up’ sometime this coming semester?”

“Oh.” Jonghyun looked worried. “Once we ‘break up’ do we also stop the whole—”

“Dunno about you,” Minhyun interrupted, “but I’d rather we don’t stop that bit.”

Jonghyun released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “I don’t want to stop that bit either.”

Minhyun grinned. “And, after all, ex-boyfriends do hook up from time to time. Even after we ‘break up’ I could always just say that, for a nerd, you’re irresistibly good in bed and make me keep coming back for more, wink-wink-nudge-nudge.”

“That’s gonna be false advertising if it isn’t an accurate assessment.”

“Based on previous test runs from last night, it’s safe to say that my proposed statement is at least ninety-five percent accurate… though of course, you’re welcome to try again for a perfect score.”

Jonghyun’s lips were already on Minhyun’s when a violent knocking startled them off each other.

“Kim Jonghyun-nim, I know you’re the secret guest of honor but could you try to hold off your honeymoon continuation _after_ the party and maybe help out with stuff first?” Minki spoke through the closed door. His voice was his best at-your-service modulation but both Jonghyun and Minhyun understood the underlying warning in it.

“I better talk to Minki,” Jonghyun sighed. “And hope he doesn’t kill me.”

“I’m gonna help out there and maybe talk to Dongho and Aaron-hyung, too,” Minhyun chuckled as he stood up. “See you later, _Bruce_, and good luck.”

**— » — « —**

The party doubled as a celebration of the JT Gamers new members (openly) and Jonghyun’s win at The International (secretly), with only the officers and his closest friends knowing about the dual nature of that gathering. An exception was Lai Guanlin, who knew beforehand who Jonghyun really was in the gaming scene and thus had been sworn into secrecy.

The welcome rites passed like a blur to Minhyun, who spent that time with Dongho, Minki, and Aaron in the kitchen area, eating and observing as outsiders. In the course of helping out with preparations, they managed to iron out the recent misunderstanding they had among themselves.

Minhyun was relieved to hear that Dongho and Minki had spoken and made up while the latter was still in Shanghai. And that Aaron only went with him for purely business reasons and nothing else. “It was an offhand comment; I didn’t mean to make them fight before we had to fly out,” Aaron had told Minhyun. “Also, I went there as an overworked manager; if you only knew what I had to go through.”

Minki was no longer angry with Minhyun, too, though his nostrils still flared upon hearing about the whole friends-with-benefits-plus-fake-dating setup that Jonghyun and Minhyun concocted. It might just be his imagination but Minhyun thought that Minki seemed more sympathetic towards him. He certainly was openly frustrated with Jonghyun despite having said more than once that he understood his best friend’s reasons.

Then came the ending speeches. Seungcheol left the new members inspired and somewhat teary-eyed—he’d always been excited when it comes to fresh recruits and had encouraged just about every single applicant to do their best, not just with the club application process but even in life.

Taeyong’s speech was more directed towards the current members, thanking them for all their efforts throughout the entire application season. He had quite the extensive list, though it seemed like he had reserved a portion of it highlighting Jonghyun’s role as their president and role model.

As Taeyong went on with an anecdote about Jonghyun, Minhyun indulged himself in observing the party’s secret guest of honor. Jonghyun was grinning, attention glued to his college best friend. There was that familiar sheen in Jonghyun’s bright eyes, something that Minhyun always loved seeing along with his smile.

But even without a bright smile, even with Jonghyun’s grin turning down into a concerned frown when Taeyong started getting emotional over how much he valued their friendship… Minhyun placed his glass of juice on the island counter lest he dropped it. That look that Jonghyun was giving Taeyong, a look of melancholic affection, of fondness that betrayed itself to be beyond that of simple friendship… It was a look that said—

“—how much Jonghyun loves me,” Taeyong was saying, pausing to sniffle and appreciate the chuckles that went round the audience. 

Minhyun felt his face crumple into a somewhat confused hilarity, which he hoped would pass for his vague understanding of whatever reference Taeyong just made. Then again it didn’t matter, for Minhyun had seen it in Jonghyun’s eyes and he wondered if that was what everyone else was seeing too.

Minhyun found Minki looking at him. He didn’t need to say anything for the latter to nod his head and confirm what the former just realized.

It was Taeyong.

Jonghyun was in love with Taeyong.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again! 
> 
> [1] to everyone who guessed it's TY, here's a cookie!  
[2] so upon converting The International championship winnings into KRW, it turns out Jonghyun and his NG hyungs have earned billions in two years welp  
[3] i wuv Batman
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you so much for reading!


	21. Summer’s End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After figuring out the who, Minhyun asks the when and deduces yet another who—that is, who Jonghyun really is to him.

**— » — « —**

With the welcome rites out of the way, the JT Gamers club partied like there’ll no longer be food and games the next day. Parked on the living room sofa set were old and new members having a go at the various available video games while others loitered back and forth towards the kitchen area, scrounging for food and drinks.

Other non-members were invited, too. Yoon Jeonghan, Seungcheol’s boyfriend from Natural Sciences, came with him upon his return with the Camembert. Jaehyun came in just as Jonghyun was wrapping up his closing remarks. He had brought in extra ingredients for additional food and he and Taeyong took over kitchen duties from Aaron and Dongho.

That was what Jonghyun found in the kitchen when he came in later to fetch himself a drink. There came, of course, the exchange of pleasantries with his best friend’s boyfriend, which Minhyun then came upon bearing a stack of used bowls. Depositing them in the sink, Minhyun took the opportunity to observe Taeyong, trying to see if there’s the same gleam in his eyes that was reserved for Jonghyun in return. 

But Minhyun knew the way Taeyong had always looked at Jaehyun, even from before—he had seen them gaze and smile at each other like they were the only two people in the world. As a firsthand witness to their little touches and their natural cleaving towards each other, Minhyun couldn’t bear to see Jonghyun anywhere near the couple a minute longer.

He came up with a personable but bullshit excuse to grab Jonghyun’s hand and lead him away from the kitchen. Finding the veranda empty, they stepped out and claimed the lonely bench next to the planter box hanging by the railing. Minhyun pulled Jonghyun right next to him, linking their arms together. The evening air brought to their attention that summer was ending and a new season was about to come.

“Nice speech, President Kim,” Minhyun said, nudging Jonghyun with his shoulder.

Jonghyun grinned. “Thanks, Hwang Minhyun-ssi.”

“I’m not sure if I should ask this but…”

“…But?”

“Do you mind if I stay over tonight?”

“Any particular reason why?”

“Nothing big… I’m really just looking forward to cleanup duty.”

Jonghyun couldn’t help himself—he laughed. Minhyun was relieved to see the sparkle in his eyes return in response to him.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing, actually,” Jonghyun said, “not the cleanup part but, you know… before I return the car tomorrow, I’d like to drive you back to your dorm. As thanks… for everything since I came back.”

Minhyun beamed excitedly before crumpling his face in mock pain, yet again gripping his chest in pretend suffering. “Too smooth… I swear… stop it…”

Jonghyun shoved him playfully, laughing again. The door to the veranda slid open and a grinning Seongwu greeted them. “Hey there, lovebirds.”

“Ongie-yah, what are you doing here?” Minhyun asked in surprise.

“Delivery for Kim Jonghyun-nim,” the Aesthetics major answered, showing them a small envelope as he stepped out to join them. “Also my cute friend Jonghyunnie invited me.”

Jonghyun chuckled as he took the envelope and peered inside. “Seongwu-yah, have you eaten? You should get some food,” he said before pulling out a wad of bills and counting them.

“Starving, actually,” Seongwu answered, “but I can wait until you’re done with that.” He leaned against the railing and grinned at Minhyun. “How’s my Minhyunnie?”

“I’m not your Minhyunnie.”

“Okay, then… How’s Jonghyunnie’s Minhyunnie?”

“He’s fine,” Minhyun replied without missing a beat, though his cheeks tinted a bit.

Seongwu’s laughter was soundless, clapping at the brazen answer especially since Jonghyun obviously heard everything. “Jonghyunnie-yah, it seems your Minhyunnie is fine.”

“Oh, he’s fine, all right,” Jonghyun agreed, grinning at Minhyun as he stashed the money back inside the envelope. He then nodded at Seongwu.

“Right, better I leave you two before I end up seeing something I’ll regret,” Seongwu remarked with a cackle, stepping back inside the apartment in search of food and friends.

“Remind me to turn this over to Wonwoo,” Jonghyun said as he put the envelope inside his jacket pocket.

Minhyun chortled. “Is this how you raise funds for the club budget?”

“You know, that could be a good idea,” Jonghyun mused. “But I don’t think I can pull off another stunt like this elsewhere. Besides,” and he intertwined their fingers together, “do you really want me to sleep around for money?”

Minhyun gave Jonghyun’s upturned face a small peck on the nose. “No, just sleep with me for free.”

“Yeah, that’s the plan.”

**— » — « —**

The sun had been up for hours when Minhyun woke up alone in Jonghyun’s bed.

A quick scan of the room he was in helped him remember how, since yesterday, he’d been in a place surrounded by things that Jonghyun owned. He barely noticed, he thought wryly, probably feeling right at home for technically belonging to Jonghyun, at least in body.

Minhyun had the habit of getting up the moment he opened his eyes in the morning but, looking back at the events from the last two days, he realized how tired he was physically and mentally. He never had gone through such a taxing deliberation only to arrive at the conclusion that he was going to be in a friends-with-benefits arrangement with someone he thought he wanted to seriously date. 

He allowed himself a few minutes to blink (and maybe review his entire identity) before he dragged himself out of bed. A half-cleaned apartment greeted him beyond the bedroom door—Jonghyun had to practically beg him to let them get some rest and just finish up tidying in the morning—and the smell of food wafted from the kitchen.

He followed the sound of movement and found Jonghyun busy over a pot on the stove.

“Jonghyunnie?”

“Good morning, cutie Minhyunnie.”

Joining him in the kitchen, Minhyun watched Jonghyun prepare a late breakfast of poached eggs over rice. He noticed that it was only for two people and, before he could stop himself, asked the question that had bugged him since last night.

“Where’s Taeyong?”

It was such a split second freeze but Minhyun saw it—how Jonghyun tensed and recovered so quickly. He barely missed a beat answering:

“He texted; he’s been over at Jaehyun’s.”

“Oh.” Minhyun took one of the bowls offered to him. “Right.”

They ate their meal in silence, leaning on the counters next to each other. Jonghyun threw him an amused glance before taking his empty bowl and refilling his mug with tea.

“What’s up, Minhyun-ah?” Jonghyun then asked, running the tap over their used bowls before leaving them to soak.

“It’s Taeyong, isn’t it?”

Jonghyun turned to look at Minhyun who had followed him to the sink. Minhyun was donning a pair of rubber gloves, intending to resume washing the dishes they had left in the wee hours of the morning.

“The one you’re in love with,” Minhyun went on without looking at him. “It’s Taeyong, right?”

He thought he was going to be met with a quick denial but Jonghyun’s confirmation was so quiet that Minhyun wondered if he’d just imagined it.

“Youʼre right… I’m in love with Taeyong.”

It was such a simple statement yet, glancing at Jonghyun and seeing a smile on his face, Minhyun felt a prickling in his chest and a lump in his throat.

How come? When it was such a beautiful smile?

“Since when have you—?” Minhyun found himself losing the courage to ask midway.

“Since when have I been in love with him?” Jonghyun finished the question for him. He regarded Minhyun for a moment, perhaps internally debating whether to answer or not. Eventually, as he took the dishes that Minhyun scrubbed and began rinsing them, Jonghyun said, “I suppose, since the day I met him… two and a half years ago.”

Their conversation went on, punctuated by running water and the brushing and tinkling of dishes.

“And you never told him, all this time?”

“I thought it didn’t need to be said… if all I want is for him to be happy.”

“Couldn’t he have been happy with you? If you had told him.”

“He  _ is _ happy with me. As my friend. You heard him last night.”

Standing right next to him, Minhyun could tell that Jonghyun spoke of Taeyong the way he looked at him last night—warm, content, and affectionate as ever. He could practically  _ hear _ that same smile from earlier.

Perhaps it was because of that beautiful smile that Minhyun started to feel a pounding in his ears.

“You won’t ever tell him?”

“Why should I? He’s happy with Jaehyun now. They took awhile but they finally got to where they are now.”

“But… what about you?” 

Jonghyun turned to face Minhyun, a little confused by the question and the look that the latter was giving him.

“Jonghyun-ah, shouldn’t you be happy, too?”

Minhyun didn’t understand himself. He wondered why he was butting into Jonghyun’s romantic business all of a sudden. Weren’t they just friends and casual lovers? Whoever Jonghyun truly loved or whatever he chose to do with his feelings, Minhyun just had to support his decisions… right?

But why did it hurt so much… hearing about how Jonghyun loved Taeyong yet did nothing for over two years? Why did it hurt seeing Jonghyun smile so beautifully at the thought that the person he loved was happy with someone else? Why did Minhyun want to push Jonghyun to find his own happiness instead of just being happy for others?

_ …all I want is for him to be happy. _

“Minhyun-ah… are you crying?”

“Huh?” Minhyun blinked, his blurred vision regaining clarity as something warm trickled from the corners of his eyes and down his cheeks. “I’m not crying, Jonghyun-ah, what are you talking about—” he shuddered, then finding it so hard to breathe all of a sudden.

Jonghyun turned off the tap and removed his gloves, looking at Minhyun in concern. He reached out to brush away the latter’s tears, only for fresh ones to run down the same tracks as the previous. “Hey…” he said softly, running his thumbs over Minhyun’s cheeks.

“Weird… it won’t stop,” Minhyun remarked, gulping and trying to even out his staggered breathing. The action only caused more tears to flow and for Jonghyun to wipe away.

“Minhyun…”

“Jonghyun-ah, it won’t stop…” He let Jonghyun pull him in an embrace and Minhyun clung to him in growing distress. He wanted to ask why his chest hurt like it never did before.

The answer, however, was already dawning on him.

The pounding in Minhyun’s ears was an echo of the throbbing of his chest, loudly fighting against Jonghyun’s pain even if Jonghyun himself refused to acknowledge it. Despite knowing that he shouldn’t care so much, Minhyun cried. And as much as he wanted to deny it, Minhyun wasn’t crying out of pity or sympathy for him.

Minhyun was crying because Jonghyun’s heart was broken… and, having just realized who Jonghyun was to him, his heart broke, too.

Two days ago, he had given Jonghyun the wrong answer back at the hotel restaurant. There really was something more between them—only Minhyun figured it out rather late.

Did he really have to fall in love with Jonghyun?

He wanted to hate the answer he found. He’d always thought that there was no need to involve such an inconvenient feeling like love into the equation. Why did he have to go do that now, just as he found someone who was willing to give him the kind of relationship that (he thought) he’d always wanted?

But he couldn’t hate it—simply because it was with Jonghyun that he fell in love for the first time.

There was nothing Minhyun could do other than to sob quietly while Jonghyun held him.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> [1] so, Ong is actually a Humanities student majoring in Aesthetics. Cos he beautiful. (and he's not majoring in Theatre; he's a Theatre club member hehe).  
[2] you know, I wrote this before posting the previous chapter and I was so confused that a lot of you were already in pain when this whole chapter was lying in wait hahahuhu so,  
[3] if this hurts, I'm sorry but also,
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway and thank you so much for reading!  
We're just 5-6 chapters away from **— » the end « —** and I'm both sad and excited? 🤧


	22. Not a Bad Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies and resolutions are made; kids get adopted. Minhyun realizes what Jonghyun needs to do.

**— » — « —**

Jonghyun crouched on the floor next to Minhyun, waiting for the latter to finish drinking the water he had handed him. He stood up for a moment to place the empty glass on the sink before sitting beside his friend, their shoulders touching.

“Feeling better?” Jonghyun asked gently.

Minhyun sniffled, pulling another sheet of paper towel from the roll he was hugging. He blew his nose, sniffled again, and took a deep breath. “Yeah…” he replied in a small voice. “It stopped now.”

Jonghyun peeked at Minhyun’s face. “Looks like it,” he agreed tentatively, giving him a small smile. “But let it go on if it still wants to.”

Minhyun nodded, returning a tiny smile of his own. They sat together, the silence only broken by a sniffle or two.

After a while, Minhyun spoke. “I’m sorry, Jonghyun-ah, for overstepping boundaries,” he said, mouth puckering. There was still a quiver in his voice that, if he wasn’t careful about what he said, might get the tears starting again. “Dunno what came over me but I swear I won’t butt into your business with Taeyong anymore.”

Jonghyun’s frown looked a lot more of confusion rather than of disapproval. “What did you think you were doing, exactly?” he asked softly.

“I mean,” Minhyun floundered a bit. “Questioning your decisions? Telling you what to do? Assuming your feelings?”

Jonghyun stared at Minhyun with a hopeless expression. “What are we, Hwang Minhyun-ssi?”

“Huh?”

“What are we to each other?”

Minhyun glanced at him, wondering if suddenly declaring Jonghyun as his first love would be appropriate in this timing. Jonghyun couldn’t have guessed, right? “Uh… fuck buddies?” he opted for the safest answer.

“The other one.”

“Friends… with benefits…?”

“Right,” Jonghyun nodded. “And benefits… no one said it has to be just about sex. Benefits could be things like… I dunno, having an actual friend who could say things that we can’t say for ourselves.”

“You might need to elaborate, Kim Jonghyun-nim.”

“I just went on a roundabout way of saying that you and I are friends, first and foremost,” Jonghyun explained. “It’s one of the two real things that we have, remember?”

“I remember, yeah.”

“So, as real friends, we can be honest with each other… offer each other advice… let the other know if they’re being an idiot… do you follow me?”

“Oh.”

“I don’t think you overstepped boundaries, Minhyun-ah, at least in my book. You did what a friend would, and went way above and beyond that… I now wonder if I even deserve you.” 

Jonghyun took Minhyun’s hand and intertwined their fingers the way he did the previous night, when they were out on the veranda. “You were crying for me, weren’t you?”

Minhyun looked away, face turning crimson.

“I’m just…” Minhyun tried to say but he stopped himself and opted to take another deep breath. “How could you not let him know?” he then asked, eyes bright with concern and unshed tears.

Jonghyun shrugged. “It just… didn’t happen.”

“You hid it so well.”

“You figured it out.”

“Only because you told me and I went looking for it.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“Yeah, I didn’t have to.” Minhyun faced upwards so as to not let some rogue tears fall.

“I don’t think anyone else cried so much for me the way you just did,” Jonghyun mumbled. “It made me wonder what I’ve been doing all this time. I think, if there’s anyone who should apologize, it’s me.”

He lifted the back of Minhyun’s hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on it. “I’m sorry for making you cry.”

“Jonghyun…”

Jonghyun kissed Minhyun’s hand again. “And thank you for…  _ feeling _ for me. I’m sorry that you were hurt like that for my sake but… it comforted me, too. Knowing that you’ve been looking out for me and could see things differently… I’m lucky you let me keep you.”

Minhyun let out a trembling sigh, a smile breaking out of his face as he relaxed against the kitchen drawers. “For a brilliant pro gamer, I’m relieved to find out you’re still also kind of an idiot. Like me.”

Jonghyun gasped. “Whoa, calling yourself an idiot… how adorably honest.”

“Jerk,” Minhyun scoffed, a stray sniffle escaping him. A third kiss landed on the back of his hand.

“You’re right, you know,” Jonghyun then said quietly against Minhyun’s skin. “I should think about my happiness too.”

“Of course, you should.”

“I’ll work on it,” Jonghyun promised, “so you don’t have to worry. I’ll work on being more honest with myself, too. Don’t want you or anyone else to get hurt like that because of me again.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“I just don’t think I could ever thank you enough for caring about me that much, Minhyun.”

Jonghyun’s smile looked as beautiful as ever; Minhyun blushed when he realized that Jonghyun was smiling  _ at him _ .

He cleared his throat in an attempt to dispel the heat that was re-coloring his face. “Joke’s on you, I didn’t do it for free,” Minhyun said with a mock huff, the corners of his mouth haplessly twitching up into a smile. He tried to pull his hand away but Jonghyun held him fast, his smiling eyes never leaving Minhyun’s.

“I’ll make it up to you.”

“Right, because the last time you tried to make things up to me, you took me to a hotel,” Minhyun replied wryly. “To which I advise, don’t. Your bedroom is just around that corner.”

Jonghyun laughed, almost falling to his side. “I hate you sometimes,” he said before peppering the back of Minhyun’s hand with tiny kisses like he hadn’t been doing so in the past five minutes.

Minhyun wrenched his hand away, pushing Jonghyun playfully. “Stop being gross; your saliva is getting on my hand.”

Jonghyun raised an eyebrow as he stood up and stretched out his arms and legs. “Funny I don’t remember hearing complaints back when my saliva was in your mouth and elsewhere,” he said, helping pull Minhyun up.

“I just went on a roundabout way of saying that you and I are also not exactly just friends,” Minhyun explained, returning the paper towel roll to its rightful place. “And that maybe you should be placing your kisses on the right spot.”

“Ah. Fair point.” 

Jonghyun placed his palms on either side of Minhyun’s face and pulled him closer. Their lips met, softly at first, before growing in quiet intensity. Yet the tenderness remained, as if both were expressing their mutual want while still being careful, almost afraid, of breaking the other. Minhyun reluctantly pulled away, pressing his forehead against Jonghyun’s as he tried to catch his breath.

“I think I know how you can make it up to me,” he whispered.

“Tell me.”

**— » — « —**

The pair of robot vacuum cleaners glided effortlessly at the foot of the sofa set where both Jonghyun and Minhyun were perched to observe. They oohed and aahed as they followed the robots’ movements with their eyes. Minhyun cooed.

“They’re so cute,” Minhyun cried softly, turning to Jonghyun. “And you knew I was completely joking, right? When I said you could make it up to me if you bought a better vacuum cleaner for this place, you knew it was a joke, right? Right?”

“So you kept on reminding me on the way to and from the store,” Jonghyun sighed.

“Oh, but you wanted to make it up to me,” Minhyun stressed, then shifting his tone to mimic Jonghyun. “‘ _ You’re already cleaning my whole apartment, Minhyun-ah, the least I could do is make it easy for you. So if you want a vacuum cleaner then we’ll get you a vacuum cleaner. _ ’”

Jonghyun scowled while Minhyun cackled.

“And you bought  _ two _ ,” Minhyun gushed. “All because I said we should adopt this one.”

Jonghyun blushed. “They looked cute… and I’ve always wanted twins,” he mumbled, looking like he was wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole. Better yet, swallow Minhyun and the vacuum cleaners whole.

Minhyun laughed, wrapping Jonghyun in his arms. “It’s okay, Jonghyun-ah, this way we won’t have to fight over custody.”

“Custody over what—whoa!” A voice cut in, and the two of them turned to see Taeyong about to trip over one of the vacuums. His quick reflexes allowed him to land onto the safety of the armchair.

“Hi, Taeyongie,” Jonghyun and Minhyun chorused.

“Hey, honeymooners, you’re so cute today,” Taeyong grinned, looking happy to see the pair in a semi-cuddle on their sofa.

“We’re parents now,” Minhyun beamed. “But kind of divorced.”

“I was gone for a night and you are what?”

“We adopted kids,” Jonghyun supplied, gesturing towards the pair of opened robot vacuum cleaner packaging splayed out on the coffee table.

“Sounds serious,” Taeyong remarked. “Why are you guys divorced though?”

“Separated,” Jonghyun clarified. “Since Minhyunnie and I don’t live together and we’re taking one twin each, so…”

“You’re separating twins?” Taeyong frowned, having already immersed himself into the whole play-acting. 

Jonghyun shrugged, pulling back from Minhyun’s embrace to take a good look at him. “You could have both, you know, if that’s what you’d rather…”

“I want you to keep Ping,” Minhyun answered, referring to one of the vacuums. “I’ll take BT. This way I—we—have an excuse to visit, and so will you.”

“I don’t understand why you’re supposedly separated when you’re this sappy.” Taeyong shook his head with a fond smile. He stood up and headed for his room. “I’ll see you in the morning, folks, I’m beat.”

Jonghyun stared wistfully at his best friend even long after the door to Taeyong’s room had closed.

“You okay?” Minhyun asked Jonghyun in a low voice.

“I’m fine,” Jonghyun whispered. “Trust me,” he added, seeing the doubtful look on Minhyun’s face.

“I trust you.”

Jonghyun smiled, leaning over to kiss Minhyun on the forehead just as the robot vacuum cleaners returned to their charging stations.

“Jonghyun-ah, I don’t want to leave,” Minhyun quietly admitted.

“Then stay,” Jonghyun replied. “I don’t want you to leave either… I just didn’t want to impose.”

Minhyun chuckled. “I’d hate to overstay my welcome but I don’t feel like going back to the dorms just yet. Term starts in a few days and just… we’d be busy again,” he mumbled.

“Not like we won’t get to see each other anymore but I get what you mean.” Jonghyun frowned. “Is that weird?”

“I don’t know… It’s not separation anxiety, is it?”

“I don’t know… I think you’re just clingy.”

Jonghyun snorted at the offended look that Minhyun threw his way.

“I’m going back to the dorm after all.” Minhyun stood up from the sofa but Jonghyun was quick to hold him in place.

“Minhyun, don’t go.”

He didn’t know exactly why Jonghyun was asking him to stay but Minhyun knew he’d give in. Was this part of the whole “being in love” thing?

A small part of him was still struggling, fighting, to retrieve the Minhyun who didn’t really care about love. After all, the realization of having fallen in love with Jonghyun came with pain that he’d never felt before. If he had an ounce of self-preservation, he would’ve walked away when he could.

But he wanted Jonghyun, too—wanted him more than keeping a safe distance for his own sake. If falling in love was like an addiction without cure, Minhyun found that he didn’t really care anymore. He didn’t need Jonghyun to love him back.

All Jonghyun needed to do was to ask him to stay.

As he climbed onto Jonghyun’s lap and softly pressed their lips together, Minhyun understood Jonghyunʼs silence about his feelings a little bit better.

That and perhaps they were just equally greedy for each other.

Minhyun figured it wasn’t such a bad deal.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> henlo again! I haven't got any notes this time hehe.
> 
> thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 💕
> 
> up next: everyone's back on campus!


	23. Fifth Wheel Debut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonghyun and Minhyun become a low-key (fake) ‘it’ couple on campus and a high-key (fake) non-couple couple among their friends.

**— » — « —**

The first month of the new semester zoomed by. After a quick mid-month Chuseok break, Minhyun ground the latter half of September away. Aside from their semestral load, he and Dongho continued to dabble into Theatre production, “volunteering” their Music major talents simply because neither of them could refuse Seongwu. 

At first, Minhyun hated it, still sore over having been a subject of that cursed wager. However, Jonghyun convinced him that their fake relationship would give everyone a good showing up. To anyone who doubted Minhyun could seduce anyone he liked, and to everyone else who despised him for being a campus playboy, _the_ Hwang Minhyun appeared to have turned over a new leaf and found the joys of romantic commitment.

After all, a steady relationship with a known favourite like Kim Jonghyun would boost Minhyun’s reputation. The official narrative of Minhyun wooing Jonghyun from scratch, rumours of Jonghyun giving up his “purity” to Minhyun out of true love (no thanks to Seonho’s overreaction), and news of steady dating for over a month presented Minhyun on campus as not just a real catch but also an actual keeper.

It was all Jonghyun’s idea and Minhyun simply went along with it. Only once did he ask Jonghyun why he was so concerned about rebranding Minhyun’s romantic potential—that is, for when they “break up” and stop pretending to be boyfriends. Jonghyun merely shrugged, saying, “Because you _are_ a keeper and people should know that.”

It took all of Minhyun to not blurt out how he’d rather Jonghyun keep him for good. He didn’t want a repeat of the kind of slip up that led to _Playing Dumb_ and all other stupid shit that he and Jonghyun came up with before settling as friends-with-remarkably-satisfying-benefits.

They hadn’t discussed when exactly they’d “break up” though—not that Minhyun was complaining. He and Jonghyun were very good at the whole dating charade that it almost felt real. Even the three people who knew what they’re up to doubted how the supposed couple were, in fact, not.

“Where’s Minhyun?” Minki asked that one Sunday they finally managed to get together again for their usual movie date.

“He texted, they’re here somewhere,” Dongho answered. “Minhyun’s coming with Jonghyun,” he added with a grin, having read the question from his boyfriend’s face.

“Hyung, Jonghyunnie’s invited?” Minki then asked Aaron, who had just returned from getting their tickets.

“Yeah. Minhyun asked the other day if we should include Jonghyun since he’s your best friend and my neighbour. Makes sense; we’re all friends with him anyway.”

“There they are.” Dongho was squinting at a distance before raising his arms to draw attention.

Sure enough, Minhyun and Jonghyun were leisurely making their way towards the group—hands permanently linked, whispering and laughing between themselves like they were in an endless exchange of secrets and inside jokes.

“Hey, guys,” Minhyun beamed while Jonghyun bowed politely—although for his best friend Minki he gave a special half-hug and belly rub.

“Thanks for including me in your movie tradition… thing,” Jonghyun said somewhat shyly.

“Yeah, but you gotta buy us popcorn, Jonghyun-ah,” Dongho half-joked, allowing Jonghyun to relax and laugh along.

When Minhyun ran after Dongho and Jonghyun, who’d gone off to buy popcorn and drinks for real, Minki nudged Aaron.

“You know, Hyung, I love Jonghyunnie and all,” he said in an undertone while they trailed after the trio, “but I sure don’t believe he’s here as my best friend or as your neighbour.”

Aaron paused, then his mouth fell open in mute horror. “He’s Minhyun’s date?” he hissed. “But—they’re just friends, they’re not really dating!”

“You really believe that?” Minki raised an eyebrow at him.

Sighing, Aaron shook his head. “I knew there was some sort of bullshit in this whole fake dating scheme but, frankly, I can’t believe I’d have been done in by something so simple as labels.”

Minki patted his arm sympathetically. “Congrats on your fifth-wheel debut, Hyung.”

“Like hell I’m debuting,” Aaron grumbled as he pulled his phone out to make a call.

“Who’s that you’re calling?”

“Seongwu.”

“Wow, are you dating Seongwu?”

“Who’s dating Seongwu?” Minhyun asked but Aaron had already walked back in the direction of the ticket desk.

Minki laughed. “I think you should tell Jonghyun to buy snacks for a sixth person.”

**— » — « —**

More importantly, Minhyun knew that Jonghyun was having a hard time giving him up, too. He was sure of it; he _made_ sure of it.

At an early point in the past month, Minhyun had given up struggling against himself. He fell in love and that was that; there was nothing much he could do about it.

So he did the only thing he could do: he loved Jonghyun.

It wasn’t even hard. Before he knew it, Minhyun had eased into the unrequited love business like a pro. Once he focused on the fact that Jonghyun made him happier than anyone else ever did, Minhyun found himself wanting to give more towards Jonghyun’s happiness. Oddly enough, he didn’t find himself expecting anything else in return.

Being fairly observant, Minhyun could tell objectively that, at the very least, he was making Jonghyun happy. Jonghyun’s smiles grew fonder towards him and his touches lingered a lot more whenever they were together, whether they’d be out in public or in private moments they’d catch in between.

And within the confines of either of their bedrooms, Minhyun was certain that he and Jonghyun didn’t simply fuck.

Minhyun never stopped to think any further on how, for supposed friends-with-benefits, he and Jonghyun had become so intimate. From sharing their weirdest thoughts to laying bare their deepest secrets (with the sole exception of what Minhyun truly felt about Jonghyun), it just seemed so natural between them.

If he had paused to check the way Jonghyun treated him in their little arrangement, Minhyun would’ve noticed that, like him, Jonghyun didn’t seem to be pulling a stunt. But he was too busy telling Jonghyun that he loved him with everything but words. He was too focused to notice anything else, knowing that they have an unspoken time limit. This game, like all the others they played, would end.

Minhyun just didn’t think the end would come so soon… or that Jonghyun would put a stop to something good between them again.

**— » — « —**

“Minhyun-ah,” Jonghyun said one Thursday as they were (holding hands while) walking from campus. It was one of those instances where he had waited for Minhyun to finish Theatre volunteer work and Jonghyun always made it a point to walk with Minhyun to his dorm building before heading back to his apartment. Minhyun always loved it.

“I was wondering…”

When Jonghyun didn’t continue, Minhyun tugged at his hand. “You’re wondering…?” he prompted.

“About us.”

“What about us?”

“I think we should reevaluate… what we have,” Jonghyun added carefully. “We once agreed to have no more games between us and… while our current thing is more of us playing together, I think it’s time that we stop… for good.”

“You want us to stop what, exactly?”

They had stopped in front of Minhyun’s dorm, just a little off to the side of the entrance, still holding hands. Jonghyun gazed at Minhyun with apprehension, taking a deep breath before continuing.

“I’m going to talk to Yongie tonight,” he said. “I’ll… tell him what I feel. Do a proper confession—” and Jonghyun gripped Minhyun’s hand tighter when he felt him begin to pull away, “and get a proper rejection.”

Minhyun stilled, his face mutely prodding Jonghyun to answer questions he couldn’t utter.

Jonghyun nodded. “I’ll confess so I can end this love I’ve had for him—I probably shouldn’t just end it on my own. Taeyongie is still my best friend and he deserves to know.”

Minhyun understood. Even he believed that Taeyong ought to know. “Alright,” he replied, biting his lower lip. “I guess I should wish you the best… uhh, rejection… ever? No, sorry… that sounds wrong.”

Jonghyun laughed at the confused look on Minhyun. “Thank you,” he said, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

Momentarily distracted by the sight of his favourite expression on Jonghyun’s face, Minhyun mentally backtracked, raising a concern. “You’re not forcing yourself to do this, are you?”

“No. I’ve been ready for a while now, I think.”

“Ready to be officially heartbroken?”

Jonghyun shook his head, chuckling. “To move on, idiot.”

“Hey… I’ve no idea you’ve been considering that.”

“Well, I thought maybe it’s time I give a chance to what I’ve been feeling for you instead.” 

“Oh. I see,” Minhyun said. It was then his turn to grip tighter at Jonghyun’s hand. “Wait… I’m sorry, what?”

“I like you very much, you already know that. I like _ us _, too.” Jonghyun smiled again, though obviously a little shy and somewhat flustered this time. “Don’t you think… we deserve a bit of an upgrade?”

“An upgrade.” Minhyun couldn’t help but chuckle at the word choice.

“Yeah, shut up.” Jonghyun grinned despite his embarrassment. “I only meant that we could try going for something else that’s real… and something else that isn’t just friendship and sex.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Minhyun took a deep breath then exhaled a shaky laugh. He could feel his eyes smarting so he ducked, unable to return Jonghyun’s gaze. “Ahh, Jonghyun-ah, what do I do? I want to kiss you right now but I don’t think I should.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m wishing you’d get rejected as soon as possible instead of rooting for your confession to go well. It isn’t right.”

Jonghyun chuckled helplessly, leaning in to peek at Minhyun’s face. “It’s okay,” he whispered, closing the gap between them with a kiss. Short and sweet, he was smiling when they parted.

“Let’s ‘break up’, Minhyun-ah,” he went on. “I’ll settle things with Taeyong and then come back. Then we can rethink our relationship and… just… figure things out together.”

“Okay,” Minhyun agreed, swallowing the lump in his throat as he let go of Jonghyun’s hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.” With a little wave, Jonghyun turned his back. He wasn’t even ten steps away when—

“Jonghyun… don’t go.”

Minhyun had grabbed his wrist, blushing furiously.

“Don’t confess to Taeyong… not tonight, please?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m just scared,” Minhyun admitted. “I do like the idea of us getting upgraded but… I’m scared that your confession will go well and Taeyong does love you back and I’ll… I’ll lose you.”

Jonghyun gulped inaudibly, letting an awkward laugh come out of him. “I thought you’re never scared of anything.”

Despite himself, Minhyun laughed a little in return. “Give me a break here, Jonghyun-ah. I’m potentially about to lose everything overnight so, please…” he hesitated for a bit before ploughing on, “stay and be mine tonight.”

Jonghyun was pretty sure he’d only be rejected regardless whether he confessed tonight or tomorrow. But he understood everything that was said and hinted at in Minhyun’s petition. Minhyun had a point and Jonghyun, for once, didn’t have it in him to ask Minhyun to trust him implicitly.

Perhaps he was a little afraid, too.

“Okay. I’m yours tonight.”

**— » — « —**

Late that night, Jonghyun lay awake. He was spent, sure, but even with Minhyun’s face buried in the crook of his neck and warm naked limbs wrapped around him, Jonghyun couldn’t follow his bed partner in slumber just yet. For the past half-hour, while absently tracing the outline of Minhyun’s ear with his fingers, Jonghyun had been staring at his phone showing the last text he’d sent.

_Dongho-yah… suppose you were right,_

He was still thinking of what he wanted to say next when the reply came.

_Of course I’m right :) _  
_I’m not Minhyunnie’s best friend for nothing :)_

Even that last statement was right, Jonghyun thought, locking his phone and putting it away. He dipped his head to kiss Minhyun’s cheek and attempted to sleep.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nope, Kwak isn't dating Ong lol but... 👀
> 
> thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 💕


	24. Not Even Obvious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dongho is not Minhyun’s best friend for nothing. Taeyong is pretty much the same when it comes to Jonghyun… Or is he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Minhyun month! 🦊

**— » — « —**

“Afternoon.”

“Hey there, Jonghyun-ah,” Dongho greeted when he turned around and saw Jonghyun. He watched as the latter sat down on one of the chairs before the sound mixer and peeked over at the stage where Minhyun was helping out with rehearsals.

The first time Jonghyun came to visit the theatre was for show. The last piece to complete President Kim’s (petty) revenge plot on the Theatre club was to rub in everyone’s faces that not only did Minhyun get Jonghyun in bed but also was now dating him. Jonghyun visited a few more times—sometimes kissing Minhyun where they’d be seen—before the point was finally driven home.

Dongho didn’t understand, at first, but he stopped questioning their pretend-couple scheme when he saw how there was a sense of newfound respect towards Minhyun because of it.

Maybe, Dongho thought, Minhyun _did_ owe him big time for being the reason he was able to meet Jonghyun.

Lately, Jonghyun had just been coming in to hang out with Dongho in the tech booth, happy to watch his not-a-boyfriend until they finished rehearsing and he could walk Minhyun home. Sometimes Dongho would teach Jonghyun the ropes of being an audio tech, often giving Minhyun a mild heart attack whenever Jonghyun’s voice would suddenly come out of the talkback.

“Is that Minhyunnie singing?” Jonghyun suddenly asked, noticing the music playing from the laptop next to the computer that Dongho was working on.

“Hm?” Dongho swivelled his chair to face him. “Oh, yeah, and he wrote it.” He adjusted the volume on his laptop and the booth was filled with Minhyun’s song.

“Is that the one from last semester?”

“Yeah… so you _do_ know about this.”

“He wouldn’t let me listen to it,” Jonghyun answered ruefully.

Dongho laughed. “He probably thinks it’s embarrassing.”

“How so?”

“You helped him finish it, you should know.” Dongho raised an eyebrow at him.

Jonghyun frowned. “I didn’t…?”

“You didn’t?”

“No?”

“Interesting,” Dongho mused. “He kept on saying he couldn’t have written it without you so I thought you actually helped him write the words.”

He grinned at Jonghyun, looking like he was trying his best not to laugh. “Didn’t realize he meant you _inspired_ him to write it. Like you’re his muse. Maybe you _are_ his muse.”

“Oh.” Jonghyun felt his face heat up. He cleared his throat. “Okay, maybe that was kinda embarrassing.”

His best effort failed, Dongho burst out laughing. He laughed harder when Jonghyun handed his phone out.

“Send me a copy, quick.”

Wiping tears from the corners of his eyes, Dongho scooted his chair over to his laptop so he could send the file to Jonghyun’s phone. “If he kills me because of this, will you go to my funeral?”

“I’ll make time,” Jonghyun promised. A tiny smile lingered on his face as he listened to the last verse of the song from the laptop. “He’s not going to cry if he finds out that I’ve listened to this, is he?”

“Minhyun’s not a crier,” Dongho snorted, handing Jonghyun’s phone back to him.

“What do you mean he isn’t?” Jonghyun chuckled, though confusion lined his features.

“He never cries,” Minhyun’s best friend confirmed. “He gets emotional when it comes to stuff but no tears, no sobbing. Last time he cried was in high school when I accidentally choked him while he was eating candy.”

“But… recently, he…” Jonghyun trailed off.

“You made him cry?”

How come Dongho looked so surprised? “Uh, yeah?”

“Look, if it’s like tears because you just gave him the best sex of his life, that’s _not_ what I meant and, wow, I do _not_ want to hear about that.”

“Well, yes—I mean, no—I mean, there’s _that_, of course—but that’s not what I meant—” Jonghyun sputtered before taking a deep breath to recollect himself. Dongho was screaming with his eyes closed and his ears covered in panic.

“Listen, Dongho—hey!” Jonghyun shouted over the screams while he shook his friend. “Help me figure something out! Come on, please?”

Once Dongho realized that Jonghyun wasn’t going to consult him about anything explicit, he calmed down enough to hear his friend out. Jonghyun then told Dongho about Minhyun’s reaction to his unrequited feelings towards someone else. He wanted to keep them away from details but, before long, Jonghyun found himself completely opening up to Dongho and realized why both Minhyun and Minki trusted him a lot.

“No wonder Minki calls your not-really-dating thing bullshit,” Dongho added as an afterthought to the two cents that he just gave Jonghyun.

“It’s not bullshit,” said Jonghyun. “It’s a relationship.”

“Friendship and sex? Sounds like Minhyun’s thing before you came along.”

“It’s still his thing… our thing now.”

“Jonghyun-ah…” Dongho said kindly. “You asked me what I think. I just told you.”

Jonghyun sighed. He _had_ wanted to ask someone who knew Minhyun very well about why he would cry the way he did. What Jonghyun initially accepted as something that a really thoughtful and caring friend would do had in fact bothered him afterwards. It was bothering him until now.

And Dongho’s take on it? Was the thing that made the most sense.

Perhaps it was also the very thing that Jonghyun wanted to hear _the least_.

**— » — « —**

Dongho was no stranger to late nights, whether it be for course work, his hobbies, or Choi Minki. Thursday evening was for writing music and he had just finished arranging a set of instrumental tracks he’d been working on—slaving over, more like—for Seongwu and the Theatre folks. There was an hour left until midnight when his phone buzzed with a message from Jonghyun.

_Dongho-yah… suppose you were right,_

Dongho waited, frowning as the chat window showed his friend typing something—yet no new message came up. Getting tired of staring at his phone, he returned to his laptop and started exporting the music. Watching the progress felt so much like waiting for Jonghyun to finish typing—prompting him to check his phone again.

Still nothing.

The tracks were exported and Dongho had copied the files to a thumb drive and to his phone. He was halfway done listening to the playlist when his thoughts drew him back to Jonghyun’s cryptic message.

Since they’d spoken just that afternoon, Dongho _knew_ what the text was all about. Perhaps, he also understood why it was taking Jonghyun forever to complete his thought process and finish the question. Dongho already had an answer anyway so he might as well just send it and call it a night.

_Of course, I’m right :)_ _  
_ _ I’m not Minhyunnie’s best friend for nothing :)_

“Trust me, Jonghyun-ah, don’t think about it too much,” Dongho muttered to his phone screen as he shuffled over to his bed. “Just do what you have to do, got it?”

Dongho waited a few more seconds and, when no reply came in, he gave his phone screen a thumbs up.

“Okay, good luck and good night to both of you.”

**— » — « —**

Jonghyun supposed that, if Dongho was right about Minhyun, staying at the club meeting was somewhat of a time-waster. 

“Jonghyun-ah, what do you think?” Taeyong asked during the meeting proper. He had noticed how distracted Jonghyun was all morning and kept on calling his attention so that he didn’t drift away completely. Taeyong was unused to this job; he was the one who normally malfunctions during morning meetings, not Jonghyun.

“Hm?” Jonghyun blinked. He turned to look at Taeyong, then remembered what he had almost done the previous night. “I think…” he started, gathering his thoughts. “I think it was a good thing that I didn’t go home last night.”

_I shouldn’t be here._

Taeyong’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Good for you…? You stayed over at Minhyun’s, right?”

_Minhyun._

“How is that related to planning for the next year’s budget?” Seungcheol remarked.

“Maybe he and Minhyun had a meeting and—um, no, never mind.” Youngmin’s attempt at offering an explanation died immediately, debunked by his own recollection of what possibly happens if Jonghyun and Minhyun were left to themselves in one room.

“Jonghyun-hyung, are you okay?” Wonwoo asked.

“I’m fine,” Jonghyun answered with a smile, “but I think I need to go, sorry.”

_I should go to Minhyun._

Taeyong grabbed his arm before Jonghyun could stand up from the table. “Talk to me,” he said with worry lining his handsome features.

Relenting all too easily, Jonghyun nodded and took Taeyong’s hand. “Sorry, guys, we’ll be right back,” he told the rest of the committee, pulling his best friend up from his seat and towards the pantry area where they were still within view but fairly out of earshot.

“What’s up with you?” Taeyong then hissed, frowning. “Are you sick?”

Jonghyun stared at him a bit helplessly at first. He then took a deep breath and steeled himself before asking, “Yongie-yah, you love me, right?”

Taeyong looked taken aback but his answer didn’t miss a beat. “You’re being weird right now but, yes, I love you. Why?”

Ignoring the follow up question, Jonghyun continued. “And you’re not _in love_ with me, right? We’re only just friends?”

“We’re best friends, Jongie,” Taeyong said, “and I’m in love with someone else. You know that.”

Jonghyun nodded, swallowing visibly. “I know that.”

Narrowed eyes stared at Jonghyun for a while before something clicked in Taeyong’s mind and made him freeze. “You fuck—Jonghyun… are you… _in love with me_?” he choked out.

“I—” Jonghyun began abruptly, shoulders slumping. “—yeah.”

There was silence, and then, 

“Fuck—” Taeyong muttered under his breath. He closed his eyes briefly and sighed before looking back at the other. “Since when? How? _Why?_”

“It’s a long story…?” Jonghyun mumbled anxiously.

Taeyong gritted his teeth. “Oh yeah? _How long_?”

“Like… From the first day—ow!” Jonghyun gaped, rubbing the shoulder that the latter just punched.

“Fuck you, Jonghyun, this isn’t funny and I can tell you’re not even joking.” Taeyong glared at him. “All this time…” he muttered, shaking his head. “I mean, I didn’t want to think—but _now_, you’re telling me—”

Jonghyun’s eyes widened. “Wait, you thought—?”

“Only once and I didn’t want to, okay? I even felt guilty when it crossed my mind, you asshole.”

“Why am I the asshole?” Jonghyun wailed, looking stricken.

“What, _am I_ the asshole here?” Taeyong asked in hushed, defiant tones. “Was I supposed to just come up to you and ask, ‘oh, hey, Jongie-yah, are you by any chance in love with me?’ when you weren’t even being obvious?”

“All right, I’m sorry.” Jonghyun moped.

Taeyong fumed. “You sick fuck… calling us best friends while keeping something so important like this.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I bet you told Minki.”

“I—yeah…”

“Great. I’m the clueless housemate.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Fuck you.”

For a moment, Jonghyun and Taeyong stood before each other and stared at their shoes, fat silence between them. Then, in an undertone,

“This is about Minhyun, isn’t it?”

Jonghyun looked up; Taeyong had leaned against the counter and crossed his arms to his chest. He kept his head down so Jonghyun couldn’t see his face.

“You’re not really dating him.”

“No.”

“You guys just fuck.”

“We’re friends.”

“Who fuck each other.”

More silence. Snippets of the discussion ongoing at the conference table across the room floated towards them before Taeyong spoke again.

“And you were about to leave the meeting to go see him, weren’t you?”

“I need to talk to him.”

“You like him?”

“I do.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Very.”

Taeyong sighed. He straightened up and reached out for Jonghyun. “Come here.”

Shuffling closer, Jonghyun allowed Taeyong to envelope him in a hug. “I’m sorry, Taeyong-ah,” he whispered as he returned his best friend’s embrace.

“I’m sorry, too.”

They held each other for a few seconds before Jonghyun pulled away—only to find himself being pulled back and Taeyong’s pretty face zooming in quite fast.

“What in the actual fuck.” Wonwoo interrupted himself in the middle of his budget proposal, having just caught their president and vice-president making out from across the room.

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, happy Minhyun month to everyone!
> 
> bad news: i’ve been writing with word count targets per chapter and i maxed out this one hence this cliffhanger(?) ending /again/ i know, i’m sorry, i’m a clown.
> 
> good news: the next update is not the sorta-usual week-long wait for anyone who might be trying to decide whether or not to do away with me for being a shit? please wait until then as i’d like to prepare my last will and testament.
> 
> haha. last two chapters to go and i've written the ending i'm so emo 🤧🤧🤧
> 
> thank you for reading! 💕


	25. A Very Long Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonghyun and Minhyun talk… again. Minhyun’s secret is out. Jonghyun messes up and finds it hard to get to the point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy NU'EST JP comeback, guys, I'm so happy 🤧🤧🤧
> 
> shoutout and kudos to [amugonajr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amugonajr/pseuds/amugonajr) for guessing taeyong's intentions from last chapter's chuu~ session

**— » — « —**

If Dongho was right about Minhyun, then Jonghyun was an idiot.

_Fucking idiot_, Jonghyun thought to himself as he brisk-walked from Engineering towards Music. _I shouldn’t have said that to you, Minhyun-ah, I’m such an idiot._

Jonghyun wasn’t too sure how he made it from one building to the other—his legs had been begging him to let them collapse. Not even when he first competed in The International did his nerves get so strained as that morning alone.

After all, in the two years he’d been in love, Jonghyun didn’t realize it was at all possible to love Taeyong so much more. Part of him wished he had told him sooner—then again, it’s often impossible to tell how things would’ve gone no matter how much theorizing and calculating had been done for them.

Who knew Jonghyun would get to kiss Taeyong after more than two years of secretly being in love with him? And who knew it was the only thing Jonghyun needed to understand how there was a completely sane reason why he never got to tell him up until that point?

**— » — « —**

They pulled away from each other almost at the same time—equally flushed, breathless, and stunned that, moments ago, their mouths were actually jumbled together like they never had been before.

Taeyong was the first to recover.

“How was it?” he asked abruptly.

“What?” Jonghyun blinked. So…he did make out with Taeyong? “Uhh…”

“It’s not the same, right? Not as good?” Taeyong continued, rather hopefully.

“As with what?” Jonghyun breathed.

“Minhyun.”

Perhaps Jonghyun’s heart jolted into a somersault-cartwheel kind of thing at the mention of the name.

_Minhyun._

“It didn’t feel… right.” Jonghyun answered carefully. “Right?”

“Right.” Taeyong sighed with relief. “Seriously, if it felt right for you then I’d really have no choice but to move out.”

Jonghyun found it in himself to finally chuckle. “I should go,” he said but he grabbed Taeyong one more time and hugged him gratefully. “Thank you. I do love you, you know. More than ever.”

Taeyong pat his back. “I’m precious, I know. I do love you, too, so weʼre cool and you’re welcome, okay?” He pulled away and shoved Jonghyun towards the door. “Now, go.”

And Jonghyun went.

“Right, so thanks for the free show but _what was that_?” Seungcheol asked once Taeyong returned to his seat.

“That was Kim Jonghyun, our idiot club president,” the vice president replied. “He and Hwang Minhyun make a perfect match.”

“I take it we’ll include that in a future agenda for discussion?” Youngmin asked.

“Yeah,” Taeyong agreed. “Let’s set it for a time when I’m a lot less likely to punch Jonghyunʼs adorable face in.”

Wonwoo’s laughter was deep, throaty, and had broken out uncontrollably.

**— » — « —**

Minhyun’s heart jumped to his throat when the door to Practice Room 2107 opened and Jonghyun stood there, a little out of breath.

“Minhyun-ah, can we talk?”

“Sure?”

But Minhyun wasn’t quite sure about what Jonghyun wanted to talk about so urgently; meanwhile Jonghyun himself wasn’t sure about how to start.

“So.” Minhyun began, coughing as he did so, accompanied by some awkward throat-clearing and shifty looks. It hadn’t even been a quarter of a day since they parted ways with a kiss that morning in his dorm. Now, Minhyun couldn’t even properly look Jonghyun in the eye. “You wanted to, uh, talk?”

There was a significant release of tension from Jonghyun’s system that he had no more choice but to give his legs their much demanded rest. Jonghyun stepped inside and sat on the floor against the nearest wall. He patted the space next to him as an invite for Minhyun to join him.

“Quick question,” Jonghyun said once Minhyun and he were seated side by side, shoulder to shoulder, legs stretched out in front of them.

“Sure.”

“Minhyun-ah, are you in love with me?”

Minhyun stared at Jonghyun. For a moment, he searched the latter’s starry eyes, something Minhyun usually liked doing whenever Jonghyun’s gaze was on him. It always made him smile.

This time, however, his face fell—Minhyun had seen in Jonghyun’s eyes that his secret was out.

“Was I that obvious?” he asked.

“Not really.”

“I see,” Minhyun said. “Well, you’re right. I am in love with you.”

His expression softening, Jonghyun asked, “How long has it been like that?”

“Hmm… I realized… maybe last month?”

“That morning… after the party,” Jonghyun mumbled, to which Minhyun nodded.

“I’ve probably fallen in love with you since the beginning,” he continued. “I think I was just rather slow on the uptake.”

“Not your thing to fall in love, was it?”

“No… You’re the first. Dongho could tell right away.”

“You don’t blame him, do you?”

Minhyun snorted. “For technically introducing you to me? Dunno,” he shrugged. “All I know is that I never would have felt this way if I hadn’t met you.”

“And by ‘this way’, do you mean ‘hurt’?”

“No, I meant ‘happy’.”

Jonghyun was taken aback. “Were you crying tears of joy back then?” he asked incredulously.

Minhyun chuckled. “Sure, there was that pain but… I probably needed that to understand. You know, the people I’ve refused in the past, and how falling in love was a risk.” He nudged Jonghyun with his shoulder. “It also helped me understand why you chose to do the things you did… and why I couldn’t really get anywhere else with you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t be. I was happy enough with what we have.”

Jonghyun shifted in his seat, taking Minhyun’s hand in his. “No, I’m sorry… for maybe lying a little.”

“Lying? About what?”

“When I told you I couldn’t be a real boyfriend to you because I’m in love with someone else… That’s not entirely true.”

“You’re not in love with Taeyong?” Minhyun looked almost alarmed.

“No—I mean, yes, I’m in love with him—but that’s not the reason why I’d rather you and I be friends that time.”

“What then?”

“I was afraid.”

“Of?”

“You,” Jonghyun said. He grinned affably at the bewildered look on Minhyun’s face. “And myself. Of us.”

For a while, Minhyun’s brain pulled up a blank, with a matching blank stare directed at Jonghyun. And then it clicked. “The dare and the wager,” he mumbled apologetically.

Jonghyun nodded, squeezing the hand he held. “I couldn’t fully put my trust in what you were telling me… showing me… making me feel. Granted, they were good but I couldn’t _not_ question whether or not they were real.”

“But,” Minhyun interjected. “I thought we agreed on our friendship being real? And the physical attraction?”

“There were these little things outside of those two, Minhyun-ah. Things in between being friends and being fuck buddies that don’t really make sense unless you gather them all together and call them by another name.”

“Is that how you figured out that I’m—” Minhyun cleared his throat awkwardly, “—in love with you?”

Jonghyun reached out to give Minhyun’s jaw a little scratch, fond and amused. It was cute how Minhyun looked so embarrassed about being in love. What a noob.

“I honestly needed a bit of outside help.” Jonghyunʼs eyes then fell down, an equally embarrassed expression on his face. “I didn’t even want to acknowledge the possibility of it, at first.”

“That’s my fault, isn’t it?” Minhyun asked glumly.

“More of your track record’s fault but, yeah,” Jonghyun admitted. “I was a lot more worried than I looked, you see, about ending up being just another addition to your list of casualties.” 

“Casualties,” Minhyun snorted. “You make it sound like I’m a disaster.”

Jonghyun chuckled. “In terms of breaking hearts, you’re quite the force of nature.”

“Look who’s talking.”

“Oh, have I ever broken someone’s heart?”

“What happened to mine then?”

“I—right.” Jonghyun sighed.

Minhyun bit his lip in an attempt to hide his grin as he gestured for him to continue. 

Jonghyun rolled his eyes, trampling down the urge to wipe that smirk off with a kiss. “What can I say? I was too busy taking precautions.”

“Precautions.”

“Being friends, casual sex, playing games—they’re all safety precautions. When the games had to stop, I felt safer ignoring my suspicions of _feelings_ you might have for me. I held onto my lingering attachment towards Taeyongie instead of exploring these growing ones I have for you.”

Minhyun didn’t fail to note the fact that Jonghyun described his feelings for Taeyong as ‘lingering attachment’. That—and how Jonghyun opted to get a clean break from said affection despite its being a safety net of sorts—made Minhyun hope.

Oh, if only he had the guts to ask Jonghyun to take a chance with him…

“So… how did it go?” he found himself asking instead. 

“How did what go?”

“Your confession?”

“Oh.” Jonghyun looked oddly surprised—almost as if he had forgotten about the confession that he set out to do.

“Well, I botched it.”

“You botched it,” Minhyun deadpanned.

“I didn’t go the way I thought it would but it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“_It doesn’t matter_? Your love of two years? Your best friend?”

“It’s not like that,” Jonghyun defended. “And I still love him.”

Minhyun forgot what he was about to say, choking on the statement that suddenly reminded him of his (technically) unrequited love.

“Wait, listen,” Jonghyun hurried to say, seeing the brief pained look that crossed Minhyun’s features. “I’m only saying that whether Taeyong knew or not, it doesn’t matter. He’d never love me back; I can just give up on my feelings on my own.”

“Do you know for sure? Wasn’t it the whole point of telling him?”

“I know for sure. He found out before I could tell him and got so mad he punched me. But that’s fine.”

Minhyun wanted to ask how being punched was fine exactly but, “I’m sure he was just shocked you never told him until now,” he said. “But maybe when he’s calm enough he might want to—”

“We’re okay now, we’ve kis—made up.”

“You’ve kissed—?”

“I said we made up.”

“You were totally going to say ‘we’ve kissed and made up’ and, don’t lie to me, why can’t you say it?”

“All right, fine, we kissed and made out—up—_made up_… Fuck.”

“Oh. You made out with Taeyong… Okay.”

“Minhyun—”

“That’s cool, I guess. I just don’t get how you’re saying you botched it though… it seems congratulations are in order.”

“Minhyun-ah—”

“But what’s the point of asking me if I’m in love with you? Did you come here to just mock me—”

“Hwang Minhyun-ssi.”

“Because, if you did, that’s not very nice of you, President Kim—”

Jonghyun grabbed Minhyun’s face and pressed their lips together.

Minhyun felt how tender it was when the initial shock wore off and, because he was a complete sucker whenever Jonghyun kissed him that way, found himself kissing back as gently.

“It wasn’t the same as this,” Jonghyun whispered, pressing their foreheads together before letting Minhyun go. “It didn’t feel right with him the way it always did with you.”

“I wasn’t going to tell him. Even before he realized what was going on with me, I was already in a hurry to get to you. To see you. Confessing to him didn’t matter anymore the moment I realized how my mind was full of nothing but _you_.”

When Minhyun didn’t answer, Jonghyun poked his cheek. “Earth to Hwang Minhyun.”

“I’m here, I’m Hwang Minhyun,” he gasped, remembering to breathe.

“Good.” Jonghyun nodded, satisfied that Minhyun was present again. “Hear me out? I have a request.”

“A request,” Minhyun croaked. “Are you giving a speech?”

“Uh, speeches are nice but, in this case, I’d rather get to the point.”

“Okay… good point.”

Jonghyun silently agreed, blinking a good few seconds before he gulped. “Okay… so it’s kind of hard to get to the point.” 

“Understandable…” Minhyun said supportively. “You can do it. I believe in you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Jonghyun took a deep breath before he spoke.

“Hwang Minhyun, will you let me love you?”

**— » to be continued « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think it's obvious when's the finale gonna get posted, hahat.
> 
> thank you for reading and i hope you enjoyed this penultimate chapter!


	26. Their Gimmick, Their Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyun gives Jonghyun an answer and sends him an email. Jonghyun calls him right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Minhyun Day!!! 🦊💕🎂
> 
> This final chapter is dedicated to the person whose birthday celebration was the sole purpose of the prompt for which this fic was written.
> 
> NU'EST Minhyun, I wish you a happy birthday and may all your dreams come true. I hope you stay kind, positive, and dumbass funny. Your loveliest dorky self is a gift to the world 💕
> 
> Believe it or not, I really do love you 🥰 Pfft 🤭
> 
> -M

**— » — « —**

“Hwang Minhyun, will you let me love you?”

Jonghyun’s watch ticked the seconds away and still, Minhyun kept silent, staring at him with an unreadable expression. Minhyun usually did that—stare at him, either intensely or blankly, sometimes even hungrily. But right now Jonghyun was having a bit of trouble reading him, owing to his own nerves from having just asked Minhyun something that he’d never asked before.

It was a torturous staring contest where it didn’t matter whether one blinked or not. Jonghyun wanted to break the silence and maybe paraphrase his question but, finally, Minhyun found his voice.

“Sorry, can you say that again, please.”

Jonghyun chuckled, another built-up tension rushing out of him. He had to breathe heavily through his nose before indulging the other’s request. “I asked if you would let me love you,” he said, adding pleadingly, “let me love you, Minhyun-ah.”

“That sounds really nice…”

“And it’s for real this time.”

“What clinched it?”

Jonghyun crossed his legs and scooted closer, facing Minhyun, who copied the way he sat. He placed his hands on either of Minhyun’s knees, his heart pumping rapidly as the latter’s face loomed before him. 

“For one,” he stated, “you’re the one who makes me happy. And the other… I'm not afraid anymore. You’ve been nothing but real to me and I’m ready to trust you the way you’ve always trusted me. No more games between us. For good.”

“Do I really make you happy?” Minhyun found the courage to ask, spurred on by the opportunity to find even the slightest confirmation from the very person he’d been unconditionally working hard to make happy.

“You do. Very much.” Jonghyun clasped one of Minhyun’s hands in his. “I promised last time that I would think about my happiness and… Minhyun-ah, the more I thought about what it meant, the more I thought about you.”

Minhyun found himself furtively blinking the untimely condensation from his eyes. Seeing this, Jonghyun chuckled a little before letting out an apologetic sigh. His voice was a bit tremulous.

“I was just afraid so I pretended as if I didn’t have a choice and let us go on the way we did. But I had a choice… and I could’ve chosen you. I should’ve chosen you. Can I still do that? Can I love you?”

“You really want to love me?” Minhyun managed in a half-strangled voice.

“I think I already do… so I’m asking if that’s alright with you.”

It was Minhyun’s turn to take a deep breath, although he’s already unable to contain his smile. “Alright then, do it. Love me, Jonghyun-ah.”

Releasing the breath he was holding, Jonghyun semi-collapsed and pressed his forehead against Minhyun’s collarbone. He stayed there for a few seconds, letting Minhyun caress the back of his neck. He then slowly straightened up so he could look Minhyun in the eye again.

Jonghyun then grinned. “Okay.”

Minhyun chuckled. “Okay.”

They stared at each other, biting their lips and trying not to giggle.

“So, um… what now?”

“Well… I think I should go back to my meeting.”

“You were in a meeting?”

“Budget planning,” Jonghyun said as he pulled himself up, then Minhyun. “I just wanted to see you so bad…”

“So you left them,” Minhyun finished his sentence, wrapping his arms around Jonghyun and burying his face against his shoulder. “But now you’re going back to Taeyong.”

Now that he had gotten over his shock of Jonghyun’s sudden appearance and confession, Minhyun felt like Jonghyun was leaving him so soon already.

“Wow, you don’t have to sound so happy, Minhyun-ah,” Jonghyun chuckled, squeezing Minhyun’s torso as he hugged him tightly.

“You made out with him.” Minhyun’s muffled, petulant voice brought out a fond smile from Jonghyun.

“It was just to prove a point but… okay. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. There’s really no need for it anyway since I’m all yours now.”

Minhyun pulled back a bit to look in Jonghyun’s eyes. “Okay but what about me?”

“You? Aren’t you mine already?” And Jonghyun laughed at how Minhyun’s ears and cheeks bloomed red at the statement.

“Shut up. Stop laughing,” Minhyun ordered even as he laughed anyway.

“It’s true, isn’t it?”

“It is.” And Minhyun leaned forward to claim Jonghyun’s lips, with Jonghyun claiming his in return.

It seemed Jonghyun did make a good point, after all. There _was _something different with the way their mouths just fit and move together, compared to when Minhyun was with other people. Or Minhyun could just be exaggerating. Perhaps the taste of Jonghyun alone was enough to overwrite everything else from before Minhyun met him.

_It wasn’t the same_…

He and Jonghyun—they felt right together.

“Jonghyun-ah…” Minhyun said when they broke apart, considerably aware that if they didn’t stop, they might end up doing something else in a practice room where anyone can walk in on them.

“Hm?”

“When do I submit my boyfriend application form?”

Jonghyun burst out laughing in the middle of straightening his mussed up clothes and hair.

“Right, so, uh…” he mulled over, running his fingers through his hair in a quick fix, “just send it to my email and—” Jonghyun mouthed ‘_I’ll give you a call_’, miming a phone call with his hand before heading towards the exit.

“Ugh, why are you so cute,” Minhyun complained, following his almost-boyfriend to the door. He leaned against the doorway as Jonghyun stepped out into the hall.

“I know… I drive you nuts, don’t I?” Jonghyun replied sympathetically. “Don’t worry,” he added, tapping Minhyun’s cheek with his finger as he winked, “you drive me crazy, too.”

A dumbstruck Minhyun stared at Jonghyun’s retreating back until it disappeared, rounding the corner. “Well, fuck,” he breathed, “gotta work on that email then.”

**— » — « —**

From: Hwang Minhyun (hmh2016-*****@nuni.edu.kr)  
Subject: Letter of Application for Relationship Position  
To: Kim Jonghyun (kjh2016-*****@nuni.edu.kr)  
Friday, 27 September, 11:35

* * *

> _Dearest Kim Jonghyun-ssi,_
> 
> _I am writing to apply for the boyfriend position as discussed in our meeting earlier this morning._
> 
> _As requested (not really but might as well include them anyway), I attach several items proving how well we go together (important note: some are for your eyes only), my schedule of classes and extracurriculars for this semester, and three references._
> 
> _The role is very appealing to me, and I believe that my strong attachment and devotion towards you make me a highly competitive candidate for this position. My key strengths that would support my success in this position include:_
> 
>   * _I love you_
>   * _You love me_
>   * _We have vacuum twins and they need a loving family_
> 
> _Despite being relatively new to the world of video games and committed relationships, I have had a comprehensive understanding of how you work in terms of both. Having met and being with you in the past two and a half months, I have learned what it means to love someone regardless of whether or not they are able to love you in return. _
> 
> _As I consider myself blessed for my feelings to have reached and been returned by you, know that it would furthermore be a great honor and privilege for me to commit myself to being yours (as your real, non-gimmick boyfriend) in the long-term._
> 
> _Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to speaking with you about this relationship opportunity._
> 
> _With all my love,_   
_Hwang Minhyun_

* * *

Jonghyun grinned stupidly at his phone screen, having just read the email that came in. Remembering that some of the email attachments were “for his eyes only”, he hurried to check what Minhyun sent, half-worried that he might have sent compromising things, even if it would be completely out of character for him to do so.

But other than a screenshot of Minhyun’s timetable, all the photos were just of the two of them: an assorted collection of selfies and candid shots of Kim Jonghyun and Hwang Minhyun looking cute and happy together. Jonghyun scrolled through each one, the sparkle in his eyes and the smile on his lips never dimming.

He’d already fallen—his mind and heart completely sold—but, perhaps, seeing how they actually looked very much like the way they felt _so right_ together made Jonghyun fall for Minhyun a little more than ever.

**— » — « —**

Quarter to noon, Minhyun was in the cafeteria about to have lunch with Dongho and Seongwu when he got a call. He felt his phone vibrate in his jacket pocket and because his hands were occupied by the tray of food he just got, hurried to the table where Seongwu was waiting so he could get it out.

“Hello?” he answered on the third buzz. He took his seat and raised an arm so Dongho could locate them and follow.

“_May I speak with Hwang Minhyun-ssi?_” A familiar voice replied; Minhyun’s heart skipped a beat and made a permanent residence in his throat.

“This is he,” he wheezed, biting his lower lip to keep himself from grinning like an idiot.

Of course, Ong Seongwu The Great had senses so sharp, he already zeroed in on Minhyun’s conversation—and food, swiping a piece of cucumber salad off the tray. He stared at Minhyun smugly as he chewed, enjoying the grossly fond expression on the latter’s face. Definitely telling that Kim Jonghyun was on the other end of the line.

“_Good morning, this is Kim Jonghyun calling regarding your boyfriend application submission._”

“Ah, yes, Kim Jonghyun-ssi, how may I help?” Minhyun glared as Seongwu’s laughter rang out, startling even the people from the next table.

“_Yes, I would like to inquire if you’re available for an interview over lunch. I understand that this is sudden so if you already have a schedule—_”

“I can make it,” Minhyun said hastily.

A chuckle could be heard from Jonghyun before he got it promptly smothered. “_I’ll come and get you; where are you at?_” he asked, dropping his HR act.

“Cafeteria…? I could meet you, you know.”

“_It’s alright,_” Jonghyun assured. “_On my way now—see you!_”

“See you,” Minhyun said, stifling a rather unbecoming giggle as he waited for the line to get cut. He then checked his phone screen, wondering whose number Jonghyun just called from.

“Someone’s excited,” Seongwu said, grinning at Minhyun from across the table. Dongho, tray yet again piled up with an assorted collection of savory and sweet breads, had just joined them.

“Who’s excited?” he asked.

“I’m not excited,” Minhyun denied. He shook his head, smiling bashfully. “It’s just an interview,” he added.

Dongho chuckled, turning to Seongwu. “Jonghyun?”

“Yep,” Seongwu replied. “You’re so whipped, Minhyun-ah, you make me sick,” he remarked, though his tone was nothing but happy for his friend.

And just like the day he met Jonghyun, Minhyun was unperturbed, his mind a little bit lost at the thought of the gamers club president. “Yeah… you can have my lunch, Ongie-yah,” he said affably, pushing the tray of food towards his friend.

“Whoa, really? Jonghyun’s seriously the best; I get a lot of free stuff thanks to him.”

“Really?” Jonghyun asked, dropping on the seat beside Minhyun. “In that case, you’re welcome, Ongie-yah.”

“Jonghyun-ah!”

“Hi,” Jonghyun beamed at Minhyun, who recovered from his surprise in no time and was beaming back already.

“You’re here already.”

“I had a hunch you’d be here. I was already in the vicinity when I called.”

“Nice. Whose number was it that you used to call me earlier?”

“Seriously, guys, I’m trying to enjoy my free lunch here,” Seongwu half-complained while the pair in front of him delved into a sudden discussion about phone plans and gaming. It would’ve been a completely normal topic if it weren’t for the goo-goo eyes that Jonghyun and Minhyun were giving each other. 

Seongwu rolled his eyes. “How come you guys weren’t ever as gross as those two?” he then asked the pair beside him.

“Because Dongho and I aren’t weirdos,” Minki answered, having arrived with Jonghyun and had taken the seat next to his boyfriend. The weirdo pair didn’t even hear themselves being discussed, engrossed in the little romantic bubble they formed.

“We were pretty straightforward, weren’t we? No dumb games,” Dongho said.

“Practical us,” Minki agreed.

“They sound fun though,” Seongwu acknowledged.

“Not so much if you’re best friends with either of those two, to be honest,” Minki said in an undertone.

Jonghyun then stood up and held out a hand for Minhyun to take, which the latter did and pulled himself up. “Minhyunnie and I need to go now, guys, but let’s all have lunch together sometime, yeah?” Even while excusing himself, Jonghyun looked so genuine in his invitation that Seongwu blushed and choked on his free kimchi.

“Okay, kids, have fun!” Dongho answered, one hand waving his and Minki’s respective best friends goodbye while the other hand rubbed Seongwu’s back.

“Okay, so maybe I understand why Minhyun’s so whipped,” Seongwu grudgingly admitted as soon as he’s stopped coughing. “But why is it not fun being best friends with either of them?”

Minki laughed. “Oh, it’s not all the time,” he conceded. “Jonghyun’s usually cool-headed and reasonable but he gave me so much stress while we’re in Shanghai. ‘Minki-yah, why isn’t he replying to me? Does he hate me?’ and so on. I love him a lot but that time was insane.”

Dongho chuckled. “Meanwhile, I had to babysit Moping Minhyun for two whole weeks. Free food and all that but there never was a day he didn’t mope about wanting to see Jonghyun and talk to him even _after_ they got to talking again. I love him a lot, too, but he can be such an idiot.”

“And then I heard you two broke up because of them,” Seongwu said, pouting towards one of the breads on Dongho’s tray.

“Did Aaron-hyung tell you that? Come to think of it, it’s actually because of you and Aaron-hyung,” Dongho replied with the mildest of contempt at remembering who caused what. He did give Seongwu the bread regardless.

“What? Me??”

“You told him about me knowing about the dare and doing nothing to stop the wager I didn’t even know about!”

“Facts only, Kang Dongho-ssi,” Seongwu defended. “It’s Arongie’s fault for telling Minki the way he did, however he did.”

“Dongie-yah, he called Aaron-hyung ‘Arongie’,” Minki placed a hand over his mouth in mock astonishment.

“What? He and I are the bestest of pals now,” Seongwu snorted. “And if Jonghyun and Minhyun keep up that whipped-as-fuck atmosphere they got going on, they might really get kicked out of Sunday Movie Gang and I’ll be the official fourth wheel to Arongie’s third wheel.”

“Oh, just fucking date him already,” Dongho and Minki chorused.

**— » — « —**

The first time they ate at Jonghyun’s favorite ramen place was a Friday, too.

Minhyun expected them to get the corner table again but Jonghyun led them towards the seats nearest to the innermost wall. They sat right next to each other, Jonghyun making it a point that his barstool was the nearest it could be to Minhyun’s. Jonghyun was then greeted by an older man who gave Minhyun the impression that he ran the place.

“Jonghyunnie, my son, it’s been a while,” he greeted, smiling at them both.

“Yes, Hyung. Sorry I couldn’t come visit—I’ve been very busy,” Jonghyun answered charmingly.

“Ah, the tournament. Seungkwang taking care of everyone?”

“Yeah. I miss our old pub life though.”

“You’re a back-to-back champion now, enjoy it for what it's worth. What are you having today?”

“Two of the usual, please.”

“Sure thing,” the shop master noted their order and passed it to the kitchen. “You with your boyfriend today?”

“Yeah.” Jonghyun beamed, then looked at Minhyun, who was taken aback by the way Jonghyun easily agreed. “This is Minhyun, my boyfriend. Minhyun-ah, this is Soogeun-hyung.”

Minhyun had turned red at the way he was introduced. Didn’t they “break up” already? He wondered if he rightly interpreted the glint of amusement in Jonghyun’s eyes. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Soogeun-hyung,” he said tentatively. “I’m Jonghyun’s boyfriend…?” he went on, the inflection in his tone a furtive question directed at his fake-ex-now-about-to-be-real-current boyfriend.

Jonghyun smiled _that smile_ in response.

“Well, Minhyun-ah, you have to sound a lot more confident than that when you meet Jonghyunnie’s real parents,” Soogeun advised, ruffling both their heads fondly before leaving them to tend to other customers.

“Am I meeting your parents?” Minhyun asked nervously.

“No,” Jonghyun chuckled. “Not yet at least.”

“How come I haven’t been informed of this possibility—”

“That’s because Soogeun-hyung ruined my well-prepared job offer spiel,” Jonghyun sighed. “I could’ve denied it to keep the suspense but I can’t lie to him.”

Minhyun laughed. “Okay, I like Soogeun-hyung,” he said. Hooking his arm with Jonghyun’s, he leaned in to add, “and I’m happy to accept your job offer.”

Jonghyun grinned. “Good because I liked your email a lot. Did you copy it off a template?”

“I did,” Minhyun shrugged. “Well, I converted one of my applications for an internship.”

“You converted it well.”

“So… is this my welcome party?”

“Acceptance interview,” Jonghyun clarified, then pulled out a small card envelope and placed it on the table before Minhyun. “_This_ is the invitation to your welcome party later tonight.”

Minhyun threw him a curious glance before taking the envelope and reading the card inside. There was only a written address and a four-digit code below it. Reading it a second time, he realized that the address was Jonghyun’s apartment. Were the numbers possibly—?

“My passcode,” Jonghyun said in an undertone and gave him a conspiratorial smile, “is for your eyes only.”

“The boyfriend welcome package,” Minhyun gasped.

“Yep.”

Minhyun grabbed Jonghyun by the collar for a quick kiss. He was almost angry. “You little shit, you never run out of games,” he half-praised, half-scolded.

“It’s okay if we do things like this from time to time, right?” Jonghyun coaxed. “I mean, from now on, relationship-wise we’re already real so there’s definitely no more room for games like _Playing Dumb_ and our pretend-couple gimmick but... I really, _really_ like our skits.”

“Me, too,” Minhyun smiling fondly at the thought of their little vacuum children. “We’re really good at it.”

“Right?”

“Right. Let’s keep the skits.”

“Our kids need us, after all.”

The pair dissolved into dumb giggles.

Their food arrived and they fell into the sort of comfortable conversation they’ve always had between them as they dug in. Jonghyun then became pensive after a while. 

“What do you think of… well—I was thinking that BT and Ping probably should grow up together—”

Minhyun choked on a noodle and coughed violently, praying that it didn’t go down the wrong pipe.

“Are you thinking of asking me what I think you’re thinking of asking me?” he asked Jonghyun after drinking some water.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t have to be now… and you’re obviously always welcome to stay overnight like before but… maybe next year… or whenever your dorm contract expires…”

“But… you only have two bedrooms and Taeyong uses the other one,” Minhyun pointed out.

Jonghyun levelled him a look.

Minhyun burst out laughing. “My contract expires after this semester. I’ll think about it,” he promised.

“Okay,” Jonghyun said, looking satisfied.

“It’s a yes.”

“Okay!” Jonghyun placed his chopsticks down in order to do a proper fist pump.

“You really want to split the rent further that bad, huh?”

“My goal all along, yep.”

Before, they used to share their own plans for the future—what to do after graduating, what dreams they wanted to pursue, what they hoped to accomplish in life. Yet that was the first time they ever made plans for their future _together_, simple as it is, and it surprised Minhyun in a really good way.

For a commitment noob, he thought he was doing rather well.

They were real now, completely real with each other, and Minhyun revelled in the feeling that the fun and excitement he’d felt with Jonghyun the first time didn’t go away. Even if now that they both got what they really wanted (note: each other), he was sure there’s still a lot to discover and enjoy about being together.

When they stepped out of the ramen shop, Jonghyun took Minhyun’s hand and intertwined their fingers.

“Congratulations on your promotion, Hwang Minhyun-nim.” Jonghyun smiled fondly at him.

“Thank you, Kim Jonghyun-nim,” Minhyun replied and, blushing, he added, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Their lips met in a soft kiss, curved into matching idiotic smiles at each other, and then—

“Wanna move up your welcome party from tonight to, let’s say, right now?”

“Can you record me trying out the passcode for the first time?”

“Of course, Hwang Minhyun-ssi, it’s an important opening ceremony.”

“Okay. I’m all yours, President Kim.”

“That you are.”

**— » the end « —**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s 1.5k words extra for this finale because I figured I could indulge for the last time, hahahaha 🙈
> 
> I still have a lot of things I wanted to include but couldn’t work in ((like Jonghyun’s DOTA2 TI championship teammates would’ve been so fun but they couldn’t even make an appearance 🤧 Heck, Aron couldn’t even make a personal appearance but he’s there in spirit)). Ultimately, I think I’ve kept all the essentials (at least starting from the latter half, hahaha) and I’m happy how this chapter turned out. 
> 
> Am I emo? Yeah, a bit 🥺 (I’m bawling… on the inside.)
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this finale! 💕

**Author's Note:**

> And here we are, at the end of all things Gimmick Game.
> 
> To everyone who has read, liked, and laughed—oh, and cried, too (meheh)—thank you for giving this work a little bit of your time (and emotions) every time.
> 
> To all the people who took extra effort in leaving comments and letting me know how much you’ve enjoyed (and flipped tables over) this fic, you’re all the best. I enjoyed replying to each one of you (hopefully I didn’t leave anyone out welp) and a lot of you have made my day many times.
> 
> Thanks for all the love and support that this fic (and I) have received, from the time I started writing this in secret back in Feb last year up until now that I’ve (finally!) reached the end. Thanks especially to people who encouraged me behind-the-scenes (to initial a few: K, A, J, F) I love you all!
> 
> Til the next fic!


End file.
